Section Thirteen
by Justin Brett
Summary: The ongoing story of a squad of mages as they work to keep the peace on their assigned world.    This is harder than it sounds.
1. Prologue

Another project for you guys. I like to keep my stories varied, and this one is no different. I've been a fan of the Nanoha series since the first season (although I likely committed an adultery by not watching StrikerS until last year), and I recently came up with this story. Like One Piece, the universe lends itself well to original stories, and this is one of them - I really wouldn't have the confidence to write about the lady herself. It's inspired by StrikerS quite a bit, you'll notice, with a group of unique mages working to solve high-level crimes in their jurisdiction.

But, whereas Riot Force Six was a serious, well-oiled team, these guys...well, aren't. At all.

Enjoy!

**Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha - Section Thirteen**

**Prologue; An Eventful Inspection**

**Planet Gardius – Public Road – 0945 Hours**

_"Just...calm down. It's your first major assignment, and you can't hyperventilate today...well, you shouldn't hyperventilate at _all_, but especially not today!"_

Taking one hand off the car's wheel Junior Inspector Anton Langsley opened the glove compartment, took a pointed look at his inhaler, and then shut it. There was no real reason for this action, and nor was there for the three other times he'd done it so far in the drive. A not inconsiderable amount of what Anton did didn't really make sense - there were several words you could apply to him if he weren't competent, but since he _was_, 'eccentric' was the only suitable one. An asthmatic mage graduating from a Time-Space Administration Bureau Academy was nothing if not impressive, so a few mental...quirks could be forgiven.

"_As long as he isn't assigned anywhere important, that is." _Anton thought, and immediately pinched himself. _"Come on, don't think like that. No work in the Bureau is unnecessary. You're doing a great service…just not by actually _using _your trai - s-stop that!"_

In the distance, the TSAB Headquarters of this world came into view. Like most installations of its type, the building had been constructed to allow quick, easy reactions to anything that threatened the world, be it a natural disaster, criminal menace, or any combination of the two. It possessed facilities for Device Maintenance, Advanced Surveillance and Radar for Mission Coordination, and even on-site dorms for the staff.

A very good idea, and one that had irritated just as many people as it helped (and not at the same time). After all, what was the point of an advancement if it came from some mage off a backwater planet who'd probably cheated her way up to Lieutenant Colonel? Not his words, of course, which was probably why it was his assignment and not someone else's. If only that felt like a real reward.

Not that any of those people would get the chance to investigate Mobile Section Six, the test-bed for this idea (although he'd heard certain rumors back in the academy, of the sort that made him very hot under the collar when discussed at length), as it had been formally disbanded roughly two years ago. The exact reasons for that were fairly vague, as well: they hadn't exactly failed at their duty, unless capturing a notorious criminal and saving Midchilda from orbital bombardment via an ancient superweapon counted as incompetence.

Despite this, though, Section Six's concept had caught on, and several other installations like it had been set up on heavily-trafficked administrated worlds. This led Anton to his duty here – performing a cursory inspection of Mobile Section Thirteen, Planet Gardius' assigned team. They had been here for two months, and he had been sent to see how they were progressing.

The Junior Inspector checked himself in the mirror, again. A pair of light-brown eyes below a neat haircut of the same color looked back at him, just like they had the last time. Anton was of average height, but his body had apparently spread out to fill it all, giving him a thin, wind-might-knock-me-over appearance. This was true for all of his family; he'd checked. A fat, jolly Langsley was probably just below a flying pig in impossibility. Anton also wore a pair of ordinary-looking glasses, which didn't make him look debonair or dashing but like someone who wore glasses. All this was probably appropriate for the role he'd been assigned, but that didn't really make him feel any better.

Anton shook his head again, looking back on the briefing he had had for inspiration. He still wondered what his superior had meant…

** 0**

"_Now, Langsley…" said the Senior Inspector, leaning back in his chair. "Word to wise: be careful while you're at Section Thirteen."_

"_Oh?" Anton tilted his head. "Why is that, sir?"_

_The older man scratched his head. "Well, how do I put this?" He looked over his desk before seeing the necessary implements. Reaching over, he picked up a piece of paper and a paperweight._

"_Imagine, if you will, that this sheet of paper is the plans for a potential operation. The outcome of this mission is crucial, and will result in severe losses should it fail."_

_Anton nodded. "I see, sir."_

_The older man then indicated the paperweight. "Now, imagine that this represents Section Thirteen's key members."_

_Abruptly he brought the knick-nack down, crushing the sheet of paper underneath it. Anton stared._

"_Now, Langsley, as an inspector I shouldn't make accusations, and I don't like to. But believe me when I say most of the officers there are…well, eccentric is a _nice _word for them. Powder kegs, ready to blow up at a moment's notice – they'd never be accepted into any military other than ours."_

_Anton blinked, adjusting his glasses. "But, sir, if that's the case, why put them all in the same squad? That seems a bit…odd, doesn't it?"_

_His superior shook his head. "Not to me. Just for example, Langsley, which would you rather have: one fox in several henhouses, or several foxes in one foxhouse?"_

_Anton thought about this. "Well, sir, there's no such thing as a foxhouse."_

"…_I know that, Langsley, I was using a – forget it." The senior inspector leaned back in his chair. "My point is, Langsley, that this assignment will probably be a good sight more different compared to your previous ones. Keep that in mind, will you?"_

_The recruit nodded earnestly. "You don't have to worry about a thing, sir. I have no problem with different."_

_In truth, this was an utter lie: Anton, like many members of the Langsley family, had a _huge _problem with different. Rearrange the family photos on his desk, and he'd spend the better part of an hour putting them back to a T – as many a perpetrator had attested._

"_I hope that's the case, Langsley, because that's what you're going to get. Be ready for anything – dismissed."_

** 0**

Shaking himself out of his flashback, Anton realized it had carried him the rest of the way there. Pulling his car to the right, he entered the facility's parking lot. Most of the spaces were filled – a good thing, he supposed – but there was an empty one near the door.

Stopping the car's engine, Anton opened the car's door and stepped out.

"_Young master." _said an artificial voice, somehow managing to sound annoyed.

The young inspector blinked. "Oh, right." Leaning back into the car, he gently grabbed a large green tome sitting in the passenger seat. It could have easily passed for a normal novel, aside from the same-colored jewel set into the cover.

"Sorry about that, Akashic, heh heh..." Tucking it under his arm, Anton turned back to the door.

"_Your inhaler as well, young master." _said his device again, the weariness in her voice overriding even programmed politeness. Above the car's dashboard a green orb of light came into being, hovering directly over the inhaler...which was right in front of the wheel.

Anton coughed, suddenly quite glad the parking lot was empty. "T-thank you, Akashic, I appreciate it." Grabbing the medical device, he finally shut and locked his car before walking toward the doors. His device declined comment - she was designed to be subtle.

Reaching the door, Anton stretched out his hand to knock, when a large bang came from inside the facility, whatever it was being large enough to shake the doors, windows, and his car, which switched on its alarm quite quickly. Turning it off from afar, he tilted his head: none of the other vehicle's alarms had gone off. This meant they weren't equipped with them, or...

_"One meeting's not an excuse to get paranoid." _He told himself. Aloud, Anton spoke to his device, "Recording Mode, Akashic. Just…leave that part out, okay?"

_"Already on it, young master." _she spoke back. Indeed, the jewel had turned red, a small portion of Anton's magic now devoted to copying down anything he heard or saw.

Stretching his hand out to open the door, Anton was surprised when it did so for him.

"**Query: you are the Inspector from Headquarters, correct?"**

Anton's eyes swiveled downward to meet a single glowing red optic. If this was two years ago, the young mage would have instantly drawn his Device and blown the thing before him into scrap metal. But since it was now, he simply nodded politely.

"Yes, that's true. I am Junior Inspector Anton Langsley. This is Akashic." he added, nodding to the book.

"**Greeting: I am pleased to meet you, Inspector Langsley, Akashic."**

"_Hello." _Akashic said pleasantly.

"Well, the feeling's mutual." Anton said, adjusting his specs. "You are Sergeant GD-782, correct?"

The machine in front of him nodded, before saluting with a clawed hand. **"Affirmative: that is indeed my designation. Welcome to Section Thirteen, Inspector," **it chirped in a voice very similar to a Device's.

Even among the Bureau's…'open' hiring policies, GD-782 was very unique; their first and only Gadget Drone officer. Rather than any of the three main types' inhuman shapes, GD-782's was a humanoid form, standing roughly equal to the Type 1's at four-and-a-half feet tall. His frame was comprised of the same bluish metal as the others, and was very slender, his limbs especially being quite knobbly. The legs in particular were quite large, taking up roughly half of his body, while his head was a simple sphere with a red optic eye.

Anton noted all of this, and tried not to let it bother him. Just because these machines had almost led to the TSAB's downfall didn't mean he had any right to discriminate. The Bureau was quite thorough about teaching proper non-human relations to its cadets.

He returned the bow with a polite nod. "It's nice to be here, GD – you have no problem with me calling you that, I hope?"

The Gadget Drone seemed to think about this, before nodding. **"Statement: I do not think that will be a problem. But please refer to my full designation in your report."**

Anton nodded. "Naturally: inspectors always use people's professional names in our writing."

"**Gratitude: I appreciate that, Inspector. Please, come inside; I will be your guide here, if that is acceptable."**

With that, the Gadget Drone turned and walked away from the door, evidently expecting Anton to follow. He did, taking a cursory look around the entrance hall - a front desk, two branching hallways, and stairs leading to the second floor and beyond.

Anton thought back to the files he'd read on Section Thirteen's major staff. GD-782's recruitment was...fairly standard by the TSAB's standards, actually. As far as Anton knew, GD had began life as one of many mindless Gadget Drones created by Dr. Jail Scaglietti, created only to attack anything he chose and to serve as an alternative to his more 'elaborate' experiments. However, one day somehow or another, the 782th of them suddenly...woke up, developing a sentient mind. None of the Bureau's scientists had been able to figure out _how_, but several likened it to a Device's personality slowly developing over time.

Being able to actually think naturally gave GD a lot to do so about, and one of the first things he focused on was being in a body designed specifically to be blown up before it's creator. Unsurprisingly, he considered this unacceptable, and immediately set about making plans to prevent this. The Gadget Drone analyzed every facet of the facility in which he was housed, making sure to keep his new-found intelligence hidden from those who had created him.

Unfortunately, while GD possessed an impressive aptitude for logic, his sense of timing was a bit off. The day he chose to make his escape coincided with the Bureau and Church's raid on the base – Fate T. Harloawn, another member of Section Six, had been there, Anton recalled. In that battle, the Doctor's subordinates had been defeated, most of his plans had been halted, and he himself had finally been captured.

But while all of this was going on, GD was pointedly _not _charging directly into the Bureau Mage's magic, instead slipping quietly out a back entrance. This would have worked, had they not set up a dragnet around the hideout – GD was surrounded by five enforcers, and quickly brought down…but not before incapacitating two of them, quite badly.

Indeed, the damage a Gadget Drone with a mind could do came as something of a shock for those who had written them off as mostly harmless. Thus when GD offered to join the TSAB during what passed for his trial, after he had proven himself intelligent enough to make scrapping him unacceptable (to most people, anyway), he had been swiftly inducted. After switching to a more capable body designed by he himself, GD had proven a competent, skillful mage – or, as his file put it, a 'unique specialist'. Anton had heard a few rumors about the technology they'd recovered being used in new advancements for mages, ships; almost everything if you believed them. It sounded nice, which was a change from most rumors.

Perhaps he was a bit too competent, however. Too the Droid's credit he had yet to acquire a single kill on his record, but conversely, he had also garnered several charges of unnecessary use of force. He obeyed every order given to him, and always performed to the best of his abilities – but that didn't always make you a popular person. He also had a rather unfortunate, though understandable, tendency to make his comrades nervous. Evidently the higher-ups assumed no-one at Section Thirteen would, though, and so he had been transferred here.

Anton was forced out of his thoughts as he realized GD was speaking.

"**Statement: as you can see, Inspector, our entrance hall is kept well maintained, and is suitably convenient for any-"**

"Exactly what are you doing, 782?" came a voice that was nearly as serious as the drone's. Striding smartly out of a nearby hallway appeared a petite young woman with braided blonde hair and blue eyes, dressed in a uniform similar to those from the Belkan Saint Church. Around her neck was a unique-looking cross, a blue gem set into its center. Seeing the girl, GD managed to stand up even straighter, and despite being the Inspector and around her age, Anton did the same. It seemed like there was an aura of trained confidence about her which, intentionally or not, made you think she was slightly superior in all respects, age included.

After standing to attention GD instantly saluted. The girl ignored this and walked up to him, before reaching down and tapping his single optic. She looked rather stern. "When I assigned you to watch the door, I instructed you to call for me when he arrived. Not do the duty yourself."

The Gadget Droid bowed.** "Apology: I did not mean to usurp your authority, Lady Lackland. I merely did not wish to keep the Inspector waiting. He seemed like someone who would take that badly."**

The girl looked over at him, and Anton found himself under some scrutiny. He tried not to look uncomfortable.

Finally she nodded. "Yes, I can see that. But even so, you should have sent a message to me immediately. An impatient guest is no excuse for disobeying orders, especially for a machine like you." Her words weren't spoken angrily, but they were certainly harsh, like a blinding snowstorm.

GD strove to bow lower. **"Continued Apology: I will try my hardest to remember that, Lady Lackland."**

"Very good, then – I will take over things from here. You may assist me."

Anton cleared his throat as she turned to him. "I presume you are 2nd Lieutenant Arturia Lackland, then?"

The young girl nodded, expression changing instantly back to a calm, polite smile. "That is indeed correct, Inspector. On behalf of Section Thirteen and the House of Verum, I welcome you to our home this day." She looked down at her cross. "Is that not true, Frangir?"

The cross' jewel pulsed. _"Acceptus." _

"Well, I'm very pleased to meet both of you." said Anton professionally. "And so is Akashic, right?" He indicated the book.

"_Indeed, young master. Hello."_

All of what Anton knew about the Saint Church could be accurately transcribed on the face of a needle, and he was perfectly fine with that. It was a convenient opinion, if nothing else: most conscripts of the Church were fairly quiet with their beliefs, so aside from wearing different uniforms and favoring Belkan-Style Devices, they were pretty much regular employees of the Bureau.

Then there was House Verum. Even mages that didn't care much about the Saint Church knew a lot about their practices, not because its members spoke of them, but from simple infamy. Verum Knights were the holders of quite an unpopular opinion, these days: that artificial life was dangerous and unnatural at its core, and all examples of it were little more than ticking time-bombs. At least that was the public opinion of them, which was probably why they kept quiet about their knighthood now.

Not that there wasn't_ some_ precedent for these views, Anton reflected – the Belkan Empires of old were said to have been brought to ruin partially because of artificial weapons, as anyone remotely familiar with history knew. But that had been many generations ago, and cloning procedures, while unpleasant, had far less potential for…unpleasantness later on, and rehabilitation rates for them were high, barring a few unpleasant cases.

Naturally, since most squads in the TSAB had at least one artificial creation (truly startling odds, he'd always felt), the presence of a Verum Knight or Priest could cause tension. From what he'd red on the team, that thankfully wasn't the case here, at least not violently. There'd been that look she had given GD, sure, but maybe she was just having a bad day. _"And maybe I have two heads." _He felt a pang of sympathy for the droid.

Arturia bowed once more. "Allow me to assure you, Inspector: you will find all of us in perfect harmony and order on this day."

She turned to GD, still standing at attention, and the sternness returned instantly. "Accompany us, 782: your knowledge will be useful here."

"**Acknowledgement: I am at your disposal, Lady Lackland."**

The Inspector cleared his throat. "Well, I have no problem with that-"

Arturia smiled briskly. "It is good to hear that, Inspector. Many people find 782's presence somewhat uncomfortable; I am glad you are not one of them."

The two set off, GD lagging behind Arturia. Anton followed – with her personality, she might not notice if she left him behind.

As he came up next to GD, he spoke up quietly. "Sorry if I got you in trouble. Is she usually like that?"

For a moment, the Gadget Drone said nothing, and herein lay why he was more than a bit intimidating. Whereas a human's face had no end of motion to it, whether from intentional tics or natural expressions, his was perpetually blank, save for the red, piercing eye. Anton tried not to look away, for politeness' sake.

"**Statement: I would liken Lady Lackland to certain types of alloy, Inspector. She is certainly very strong, and can be acutely sharp at times, but within she is significantly softer."**

"I see." Anton nodded, choosing to take his word on that. Comradeship could be a funny thing, after all.

"**Addition: her conduct is also no great issue, Inspector – I prefer being told directly when I am in error, so that I may improve myself with more efficiency." **

The robot paused again.** "Observation: this may be because of my innate programming, as designed by Dr. Jail Scaglietti."**

Anton frowned slightly. "Well, humans are the same way, GD. You shouldn't let it bother you."

GD turned to him, eye flickering slightly. Anton knew this was how simulated blinking – the Inspector had done his homework, even the useless bits.

"**Apology: I did not intend to appear distressed, Inspector. No-one's fate is set in stone – my becoming an officer in the Bureau is proof of that. If my programming influences me to become more able, I will use that ability to protect others. I consider that logical."**

With that the Gadget Drone fell silent. Anton smiled – he was off to a good start, at least.

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Weight Room – 1010 Hours**

"**Statement: here are our training faculties, Inspector. Section Thirteen holds equipment allowing mages of all types to hone their skills."**

Anton nodded as he looked around at the wide, gym-like area filled with exercise machines…as well as their magical equivalents. "Well, everything here seems to be in order."

Of course, he didn't know what half of these machines actually did – his magic style didn't allow for close quarters combat, and his pole-like body had worked out so far for him.

"_Not that that's something you really say out loud."_

Anton looked around trying to seem productive (a hard task when your device was essentially the one doing all the actual work), and thus didn't notice the new arrival coming up behind them.

"Morning, GD! You here for a match?"

Anton turned to see a young man in his late teens holding the Gadget Droid in the air by one foot. He had blonde hair, red eyes, a bright friendly smile, and a figure that looked not so much born as forged to serve as a template for all other men like him. A ring with a silver jewel set into it was slipped over his right pointer finger. The teenager stood a few inches taller than Arturia, who was currently, yes, giving him the same stare she'd used on GD. Actually, though, looking closer it seemed to be _worse_.

"I have told you before, Corporal Spade; my subordinate is not your plaything."

The golden-haired young man smiled honestly. "Of course, Second Lieutenant. I know he belongs to you." Turning GD around, he deposited the droid on the floor.

As a reward for his comment, Arturia's cheeks reddened microscopically. "Humph. So long as that is clear."

GD apparently had similar senses to Anton, and he spoke up. **"Introduction: this, Inspector, is-"**

Anton interrupted before Arturia could snap again. "-Corporal Ace Spade, I know."

He looked him over, and nodded. "Your description certainly matches the intel I received." Said intel were the squeals and coos from the few female inspectors back at headquarters. On the whole, there were more beautiful _women _in the Bureau than beautiful men, but quality evidently made up for quantity.

"_Not that I count under either category, that is." _Anton sighed to himself, looking at the arms that could probably snap him like a twig. It didn't seem fair…especially since Ace was created specifically to look like that.

Like a surprising number of the TSAB's staff, Ace was an artificial human created through technology. Unlike some, who were clones of deceased loved ones, he and his line had been created specifically for battle, weapons sold to the highest bidder.

The clones' appeal came from certain mental suggestions implanted into them: they were specifically designed _not _to show regard for their own lives, to fight until they emerged victorious or died. They weren't made to do anything else, or feel any emotion. Not even pain. Whoever made them had been more interested in the science of it than the actual life.

After encountering several of his line on raid operations, the Bureau put their facts together, and soon located the location of their creators. Unfortunately, like a depressing amount of criminals, the group decided _not_ to give themselves up when it became evident they were cornered. Instead, they opted to release all of the unsold clones with orders to cause as chaotic a destruction as they possibly could, regardless of whether it involved them living or not.

Regrettably, for the most part this was the case, and extremely so. Only Ace managed to escape a fight with the Bureau's Enforcers without ending up dead. The details of this were a bit vague in the report (most people didn't have very good memories when things were trying to kill him), but Ace, as he now chose to call himself, had been inducted readily into the TSAB's ranks.

It had been eight years since then, and a majority of that had been spent teaching Ace, as he now chose to call himself, how to act like a normal human being. Even simple things like brushing his teeth or changing clothes had to be taught to him at length, and it the process was slow going even with their technology. It would have been easier to just forget it, but the Bureau didn't do things that way.

"Well, I'm glad I could keep things orderly for you, sir." said Ace cheerfully. One thing that hadn't had trouble developing was his sense of gratitude; if there was anything he could do to help the Bureau, he would, no matter how dangerous. Unfortunately, this meant for every serious injury his co-workers suffered, Ace had three, not to mention the other problems a gung-ho mage could cause. Nonetheless, the officer in charge of Section Thirteen had felt there was a place for him here.

"You did, thank you." Anton looked around at the various machines: magic strength readers, weights you needed augmented strength to lift, and treadmills that could go up to a hundred miles an hour. "Has this all been working right for you?"

Ace was silent for a moment. "…um, yeah, sure, they've been working fine. Totally fine!"

Arturia silently tapped her foot, which was somehow even worse than the electric shock that ran up his arm a moment later. **"Do not lie, fool!" **

The strike artist rubbed his nose, almost pouting. "Sorry, Bolt…uh, it's all fine, except for the weight and tossed into – okay, _through _the ceiling. And that time I hit the punching machine so hard it read gibberish for an hour. Oh, and I blew out the lights in here once, but that didn't have anything to do with-"

"I…think I get the picture." Anton said quickly. Looking around, he approached one of the machines. "But they look sturdy enough to me." He reached out a hand.

Arturia coughed politely. "Ah, Inspector, I am not sure that is a wise idea."

"**Advisement: I estimate that has an over fifty percent chance of injury for you."**

Anton frowned. "Oh, come now. It can't be that hard."

"_Famous last words, young master." _

"Er," began Ace, looking unsure, "they aren't kidding, Inspector. I really don't think that's a good idea."

Sniffing, Anton tucked Akashic under his arm before reaching out, grabbing one of the…buckles, maybe…and tugging it hard. Honestly, who did they think he-urk..

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Infirmary – 1020 Hours**

"T-thank you very much, Doctor Ciel." Anton said gratefully. He was currently lying down on one of the cots with his shirt off (probably the first time this had happened to a Langsley Inspector while on duty, he mused), his left arm, shoulder and back glowing softly with green light.

"You can thank me better by considering listening to what three people tell you next time. Mr.

She continued to Anton's non-existent reply. "I can fully understand ignoring Arturia – you could probably talk out what she has to say and still not lose anything. But GD knows what he's talking about, even when he's just parroting what she has to say."

"I'll try to keep that in mind." Anton murmured. He took a shot from his inhaler, just to err on the side of caution.

"Anyway," Doctor Ciel said, indicating the rest of the room with a nod of her head, "as you can see, our medical facilities are top-rate, readily equipped to deal with any physical or magically induced injury. No matter how they're received."

"Mmmm." Anton agreed with a wordless hum.

There wasn't much you could say about Doctor Ciel Marion; at least in comparison to those Anton had met so far. She came from a fairly normal family, containing a loving father, mother, and brother and sister, all of whom had or grew up to have very different professions which probably didn't extend back several hundred years and generations (not that he spoke from experience).

Ciel had entered into the TSAB's ranks out of a desire to help people, and, discovering an affinity for healing magic, had become a doctor. She wasn't a miracle worker who could heal any wound, but she could save your life nine times out of ten assuming you weren't in multiple pieces, and that was good enough for this position. With her personality, Anton imagined number ten would be glad they avoided lecture for it; even something as simple as a pulled arm had gotten him a severe tongue-lashing.

Despite her bed-side manner, though, she wasn't unattractive (a sudden thought that made Anton very grateful mental scans weren't part of debriefing, yet). Doctor Ciel was in her mid-thirties now, yet had still kept her younger beauty, or at least refined it vividly.

Brushing a strand of black hair out of her eyes, the Doctor pursed her lips. "I'll take that as an agreement." She sighed. "Honestly, Inspector, if I may speak freely for a moment, you're not quite what I expected."

Anton kicked those thoughts in the face and looked back behind him. "…you know, I was expecting someone to say that eventually." he said wryly. "Can I ask why?"

"Well…" Ciel looked uncertain for a moment. "Not really _expected _per say – more like _hoped_."

Anton frowned. "Really? _I_ was kind of hoping not to hear something like that about me on my first assignment."

Ciel raised an eyebrow. "Your tongue is sharper than it seems, I see. But I think you'll probably agree after looking around here that a lot of people could use a kick in the ass." 

The junior inspector raised an eyebrow. "Like who?"

"Doctor, remember? I consider being a pain in the backside a medical condition. But I think you'll be able to tell."

With that, Ciel leaned back, the glow vanishing from her hands. "And now I think it's time you got back to work. Try not to get yourself grievously injured again; it sets a bad example for your department. Ace certainly doesn't deserve it, either. He'll spend the whole day worrying as it is. Quite a sensitive boy, that."

Anton would have preferred more lengthy healing, but there was no sense complaining. Standing up, he stretched his sore back and bowed. "Thank you very much, Doctor Ciel. I'll…keep an eye out." 

With that, he turned and left the infirmary, professionalism restored.

"…you're going to tell Father about this, aren't you, Akashic?"

"_Yes."_

Anton sighed.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Shooting Range – 1030 Hours**

Aside from the weight room for hand-to-hand fighters, Section Thirteen also contained a shooting gallery for those more adept at distance. Anton watched as a hologram resembling a Gadget Droid on the far side of the fifty foot long field fell to the floor, a smoking hole through its optic, before vanishing. He wondered briefly if GD had different targets when he came out here.

"You're a very good shot, Lieutenant Jacobs." remarked the Inspector.

"Thanks." murmured the shooter quietly, before taking aim, this time at a human target. Four quick shots later the man fell to the ground, face contorted in pain but still alive to do so, before he disappeared as well. Several other targets appeared, varying in requirements and difficulty. Anton watched with GD and Arturia as Dwight took aim, shooting every one with near-perfect accuracy.

"I may practice the Belkan style, but I am always impressed by his skill." said the latter, watching with trained eyes. "There is none with more precision at our Section, Inspector, you can be certain of that."

Beside her, GD nodded. **"Lieutenant Dwight holds the score for highest accuracy on this field; beating out even the Captain and Major."**

Anton raised an eyebrow.

Finally, a beep signaled the end of the training program. Holstering his Device, Lieutenant Dwight Jacobs nodded to Anton. "Real sorry for making you wait, Inspector. But you know how it is: use it or lose it."

This was one training philosophy Anton understood. "Not at all, Lieutenant. Your job is just as important as mine."

If anything, he was more. The Bureau had a lot of people like him who carted around pieces of paper, but he hadn't seen many people who looked like Dwight. At about six feet, bald and muscular, the Lieutenant cut an intimidating figure, especially with his dark skin. He wouldn't want to be on the opposite side from him, that was for sure.

Dwight shrugged, brushing some dust off his uniform as he did. "I wouldn't go that far. I'm nothing special, really."

"Well," Anton said, rallying from the stare, "you do have training from before you joined the TSAB, right? A-at least, that's what your file says."

Non-Administrated World Number Ninety-Seven was of very little importance, magic-wise. The average member of the planet's populace had a Linker Core of quite small capacity, if they had developed one at all, and without any training even that miniscule power couldn't amount to much. It was, overwhelmingly, not a world of magic.

Supposedly, at least. The fact that mages from Earth – as it was called by people who cared – were responsible for the resolving of at least three dimensional-class incidents hadn't been lost on the Langsley family. Files had been called up, shuffled around, revised, and now occupied a small section of their databanks. Useless trivia, to other Inspectors, but the Langsleys horded knowledge like magpies: no bit of information was meaningless, they reasoned, and someone should thus keep track of it all.

Dwight Jacobs occupied a spot in the file, and although his case wasn't as flashy, it _was _almost as extraordinary. He used to be part of a large, highly trained law enforcement unit, known as…SWAT, that was it (a rather silly acronym, Anton thought), which handled unique, high-risk cases that demanded special attention. Their general strategy for assignments wasn't too dissimilar to what the Bureau was trying now, actually; a small group, each expertly trained, working together to accomplish goals.

One day, Dwight had been on a routine (for them) assignment: a gang of criminals had holed up inside an apartment building to escape the police, taking several hostages before it could be evacuated. Dwight's team had been sent in to subdue them and rescue the civilians. It certainly had the potential for danger, but shouldn't have had been more than they could handle.

_Should _have been.

But there were several factors involved that the SWAT Team had no knowledge of which might have made a difference. Most crucially, the fact that the building contained more than one band of ne'er do wells hiding from the law. Just a different kind.

Yes, a group of outlaw mages had apparently chosen Earth as the perfect place to test the Lost Logia they'd uncovered away from prying eyes, and, purely by coincidence, inside that very apartment. And unfortunately, like many people who sought such power, they were nervous and excitable: none of them knew if the planet was far enough away to avoid attracting the Bureau's attention. So, when Dwight's team moved in, one of them had reacted. Violently.

Naturally, Earth _wasn't _far enough away from the TSAB's eyes, especially after the last two major incidents involving it. Their team monitoring the apartment quickly moved in…but not enough to prevent the Lost Logia from going off, barely enough to cast a barrier around the surrounding area, and _certainly _not enough to contain its lethality.

Thankfully, the street had been evacuated prior by other law enforcement, as per the criminal's demands. The only people actual in the blast's vicinity were them, Dwight's team, and the rogue mages. This probably wasn't much comfort to them however, as they all lost their lives nigh-instantaneously.

Dwight almost did as well, if not for a minor miracle. His position on the team was that of sniper, and during the operation he had been stationed on the opposite building's roof, just in case. Of course, this still placed him inside the Lost Logia's blast radius, but therein was the miracle.

For Dwight Jacobs' Linker Core was of distinctively above average size for his planet - with nothing to channel it, however, it had simply lain dormant all his life. And for better or worse, there was nothing with quite more magical energy than a Lost Logia. Enough for a newly awakened Linker Core to form a barrier on instinct, as it turned out. Not enough to completely protect him, of course; that would just be ridiculous. It was simply good enough, _barely _enough, to keep him from dying outright, and if the Enforcers hadn't found him as quick as they did…

Fortunately, the team was able to give Dwight proper treatment for his wounds, and he made a full recovery. Explaining how he had survived meant briefing him on the existence of magic and life on other planets, as well as the TSAB and their role within both. Some people took this introduction badly (although not so much as with entire planets), but Dwight rolled with it well enough. Certainly better than the knowledge that his team was now dead.

After being informed of his Linker Core's potential - even dwindled as it was with age - Dwight made a not so unusual request; to join the Bureau. For an organization that relied on people's goodwill, they never seemed to have a lack of volunteers. When asked why he made this decision, the man said he considered the incident a sign as well as a tragedy. There was certainly no way his team could have known what they were walking into, but like any law enforcement group SWAT relied largely on knowledge. An awareness of magic and training regarding it could have saved those people's lives, and countless others: thus, it was his duty to acquire that knowledge and expertise.

Anton had heard Dwight was a heavy supporter of introducing magic to Earth, and had been for the roughly six years he'd spent with the Bureau. That might have something to do with why he was at Section Thirteen, the analytical part of the Inspector's mind put forth – these groups were constantly in the public eye, and their staff's performance would reflect widely on their families or home worlds (or both, depending on the case). Maybe it would work, considering the people from Earth in the Bureau already.

"Yeah, I do." Dwight said aloud, breaking him out of yet another long introspective. "Hope it gave you something good to show the guys back up the chain, eh?" His slight smile was earnest.

"_And who am I to have a problem with that?" _Anton thought, and offered his own. "I haven't seen any problems so far, Lieutenant, and rest assured that hasn't changed now."

Dwight smiled. "Glad to hear it." He looked down at his Device. "How 'bout you, Gates?"

On the black rifle's grip was a circular marking, rising slightly off the surface. Gold at the edges, a red 'eye' was in its center. Turning slightly this way and that, the eye glowed sharply. _"Yessir. Thank you." _A calm male voice said.

His mage nodded, smiling. "Yup, he agrees."

"Well, you're welcome then, Gates." Anton said back, staring at the gun device indirectly.

Dwight followed his gaze. "It's not going to bite, you know."

"Um, no I-" the younger man stammered, suddenly flustered. "It's just it's…very realistic."

The sniper stared. "Yeah, you could say that. You're far from the first person to give it a look like that. I always wonder why."

Anton felt put on the spot, which was probably the whole idea. "Well, I've never seen one up clo-" he shut up as he saw Dwight was shaking his head.

"So have most people back home, but they don't look at them like they're bombs on a short fuse. Hell, some officers could level a city block if they felt like it."

"...but not me." muttered the Inspector, irritation slipping into his voice.

Dwight smacked himself in the forehead. "Right, sorry. I can go off about things sometimes. Just forget about it, eh?"

"Right…" Anton said, flipping through a few of Akashic's pages for show. "Thank you for your time, then." Turning, he went back toward the main building.

"Inspector." the lieutenant's voice called back. He tapped the back of the rifle, now lined up for another shot. "The next time you have to use your Device, remember what it is you're holding, alright?"

Anton said nothing.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Labs – 1045 Hours**

Anton stared vaguely at the hustle and bustle before his eyes. He'd seen it many times before at Inspector Headquarters, but always applied to files or folders – not expensive, and in many cases, crucial technology. Not that Anton knew much about the scientific aspects of the TSAB, but given how cadets back at the academy studying in the field had acted, he'd always imagined it as more, well, orderly than this.

Maybe it was like magnets; get enough people so high-strung into one room together and chaos soon reigned. That would certainly explain things, given how many were in the room right now, hustling and bustling from one spot to the next without any obvious rhyme or reason.

The labs themselves were a wide room with a high ceiling, installed into which were blindingly bright lights, almost resembling a miniature sun altogether. They were _hot_, too, and, if the ceiling were lower, would probably bake the occupants faster than any fire spell.

This didn't seem to infect the lab's techies however, who scurried back and forth from countless desks, containing things like computers with the latest up-to-date scanners built in, completely contained glass covers for storing volatile objects, and small generators with high-overload thresholds to test just how much 'volatile' counted for. The entrance and the room's far side were on raised areas, with short flights of steps leading down to the main floor. On the far platform was an array of far larger consoles arranged in triangular formation around one seated man – Anton's consultant for the labs.

He blinked as Arturia suddenly grabbed him gently around the hand. "Keep close behind me, Inspector. You wouldn't be the first to have been trampled here."

Blinking at the dead seriousness in her voice, Anton nodded before following, keeping only one step behind the knight. This was a wise decision; the throng of scientists shifted to accommodate them, but only vaguely, as though by instinct. If it wasn't their work, it barely registered on their overall radar – again Anton was reminded of headquarters.

Then they were out, and onto the far platform…the two of them, that was. Anton looked around for GD, and jumped again as the droid dropped from the ceiling right next to him.

"782 prefers to take the top route here, Inspector." Arturia explained with a slight sigh.

GD nodded. **"Explanation: my overall weight and frame composition make me a considerable hazard for high-speed collision. After the first incident of this, I opted for a safer route."**

"Ah." Anton murmured. There was really nothing else to say to that.

In the silence, a quiet voice rose. "So, this is the Inspector then, Arturia and GD?"

Anton turned to face the man operating the computers, shivering slightly at his voice. It gave GD a run for his money in artificialness - in a disturbingly organic way.

After clicking a few more keys he turned to face them, the wheels on his chair swiveling with the motion. He smiled. "Hello there, Inspector…my my, you're rather young, aren't you?"

"Well, this _is_ my first assignment. It's nice to meet you, Doctor Forrester." Anton said, forcing himself to look straight at the man.

This was no small task. By and large, most members of the Bureau were…well, obviously 'beautiful' wasn't appropriately professional, but typically easy on the eyes. Even Anton, with his scarecrow physique, was probably above average, and certainly while in the presence of this man.

Doctor Forrester was, as already stated, confined to a wheelchair, but the injuries that had taken his legs away hadn't stayed confined to just them. His countenance was, well, frankly frightening. There didn't appear to be a square inch of his exposed body that wasn't marred by scars, burns, scabs, pockmarks, or anything other category he'd missed. A large pair of frosted goggles was strapped on over his eyes, exuding a deadly curiosity about what lay within. He had also gained injuries on the inside; his unnatural voice was caused by a rather grievous throat injury, one that had destroyed the old man's vocal chords. The Doctor was also completely bald (probably not by choice; just a hunch), which coupled with the disfigurements destroyed any possible reference points for his exact age.

Even in his file, Doctor Forrester's age in his file was represented only by two question marks. He could have been about forty…or fifty…or even a spry sixty. You could probably hazard a good guess, but no-one seemed to want to. Anton couldn't imagine why; there was so much mystery about the man that he could do with at least one definite fact, even if it was decided for him.

There were no records for Doctor Forrester in the TSAB's Database, even after the several years he'd been working for them. He was a shadow, a null, a non-entity when it came to filing. There were only two things known for sure about him: that he was an utter genius, and also something of a madman.. The combination was about as comforting as you'd expect.

Forrester had been found about five years ago by an Enforcer team, on transit back to their base from a successful sealing operation. The Lost Logia was only about mid-grade power, but its function was unique enough to be dangerous in the right hands, so they were on full alert. This anticipation soon paid off – just as their ship was rounding an uninhabited world, the team was caught in an ambush by two pirate crews, both armed with anti-mage equipment. For a moment, it looked very bad…

…until a massive beam of pure magical energy soared up from the 'uninhabited' world, smashing into one ship and completely annihilating it, piercing through its AMF Barrier like it was paper. This left the second vulnerable to be quickly mopped up by the Enforcers, who then cautiously teleported down to the source of the beam to investigate.

There, they found Forrester, alone in a small lab containing some sort of broken satellite. The entire place was smoking, including its sole occupant. But The Doctor couldn't have been more apologetic when confronted; according to him, he had been aiming for a small planetoid near his lab. The pirate ship had merely gotten in the way, which was regrettable (a quote by him).

The Enforcers weren't sure what to do. He had saved their lives, certainly, but by taking away those of an entire ship, however criminal they were and however accidental the circumstances had been. But on the other hand, Doctor Forrester had been conducting his experiment on a planet without major life, and made also made certain there was none on any adjacent worlds. And as far as they could tell, he hadn't used any technology that was actually _illegal _to build his device: very conscientious, for a rogue scientist.

After some discussion, they'd settled for politely detaining the Doctor, escorting him back to Headquarters…and then offering him a job, as was standard procedure for the Bureau. Forrester had gladly accepted, and the TSAB inducted another scientist into their ranks. So far it had been a mixed bag – the Doctor was smart and imaginative, yes, but also quite impulsive. If there was a problem to solve, he preferred to do it in the biggest way possible.

Strangely, despite working on his own before joining the Bureau (at least, as far as they knew), the scientist took to giving orders like a duck to water. Even now Anton could see the old man's gaze directed only partially on him; the rest was on his scurrying staff.

"And you as well, Inspector Langsley…yes, I'm aware of the resemblance, there's no need to flinch." Forrester said softly, a little smile on his face that reminded Anton of his grandfather. He tapped one of the wheelchair's arms absent-mindedly. "Now, I suppose you'll need a demonstration of our department, hmm?"

"Certainly, Doctor, in whatever way you can." Anton said politely. "I hope I haven't caught your team on a busy day."

Forrester waved a hand dismissively. "No, Inspector, not at all. I haven't done anything remotely interesting all day, in fact, so I was getting a bit bored."

Boredom in this individual was something Anton was happy to dispel. "If you have something in mind, go right ahead," he said graciously, "I'm recording right now."

The Doctor cracked a wide smile. Half of his teeth were gone. "Well, in that case I simply can't disappoint, can I?"

Turning aside from the young man, he called down into the pit. "Michael, Joel, can you boys come up here?"

These words were said in a perfectly-natural indoor voice, yet had great effect on the throng. Within moments, an opening appeared allowing two young men to climb up. They looked…well, like all the other lab techies. There was probably some variance on averageness between them, but to Anton's eyes they were Regular Joes, just like you or me. They both had black-brownish hair, and the same eager expression every worker here seemed to share.

"Yes, Doctor Forrester?" one of them – Michael, Anton guessed – said cheerfully. "Is there something you need Joel to help me with?"

Anton sagged a bit. Even he, about as blessed in social natures as the average frog, could tell where _this _was going.

Joel's smile grew strained. "Or perhaps there's an invention you need Mike to be the guinea pig for?"

"Oh, that's a fine idea." Forrester put in, beaming. "I should keep it in mind if you both don't shut up right now."

They did.

The old man smiled warmly. "Good, good." He gestured to Anton. "This is the Inspector from Headquarters, say hello. Inspector, these are Mike and Joel, my two finest assistants."

"Hello!"

"Hello."

Anton drew back a bit subconsciously. "Ah, it's a pleasure…"

Forrester pointed past him, to the large computer. "Now, please prepare the Lost Logia we recovered the other day. Our young friend would like a demonstration."

The Inspector in question blinked as the two young men flew into movement. "A, a Lost Logia, Doctor? Isn't that a bit much for just a demonstration? And shouldn't it be sealed by now, anyway?"

"Now, now," The Doctor held up his hands reassuringly, "there's nothing to worry about, Inspector Langsley. It's a fairly harmless specimen if you understand how it functions, and this room is perfectly designed for acquiring that knowledge." He shrugged. "Besides; the Major himself ordered me to completely study any and all Lost Logia we acquire, which I am all too happy to oblige. If you have an issue with this, I would recommend bringing it to his attention."

Something about how Doctor Forrester put that itched at Anton's mind, but he brushed them aside to nod firmly. "Well, I think I just might."

If it was meant to be impressive, the old man didn't notice. "Well, that's good. He always values other people's input."

Behind him, silent until now, Anton heard Arturia sigh slightly.

Before he could ask, Mike and Joel's rapid typing produced a result. The blazing lights in the ceiling dimmed and finally shut off with booming clacks as a different light source appeared: a pattern of lights built into the floor. These seemed to be a signal of some kind, as the throng of workers quickly shifted, milling around a desk in the room's center. On its surface was one of the covers, which now snapped open with a hiss.

Rising from it was a spherical object about as large as a beach ball. It appeared perfectly smooth at first, but upon closer inspection was made up of raised plates, each glinting even in this dimness. Almost immediately upon release, the sphere began to rotate slowly – it said a lot about Lost Logia that even this slight movement was troubling for Anton.

Forrester caught his expression and chuckled. "Why, Inspector, calm down; you haven't seen anything yet." Raising a withered hand, he snapped his fingers.

At this signal, two lab workers moved to desks on either side of the glittering ball, which Anton could now see were equipped with what seemed to be compact spotlights. Aiming carefully, the young men switched them on, spilling out two fountains of light that struck the sphere parallel.

Something happened to them as they did, and clusters of equally circular light swept around the room, apparently cast by the ball's prisms.

Anton stared, not really sure what to think. "Well, that's…"

"It gets better, I assure you!" Forrester interrupted cheerfully. Another snap of his fingers, and the two clicked the lights, changing them to a red shade. This continued through several palettes until Anton cleared his throat.

He turned to the old man. "Well, that _is _rather pretty, Doctor, but what's, well, Lost Logiaish about it? I've seen devices like this imported from other worlds."

Behind his goggles, Anton could have sworn Forrester's eyes glinted. "Well, when we first found it, it had this intriguing function of making the lights both physical _and _razor sharp. Intriguing, the sort of defense systems Ancient Belkan came up with, hm?"

"…certainly."

"Yes, you can imagine our surprise when we found out." He looked over at his assistants. "Incidentally, how is your leg doing, Michael?"

The techie flashed a thumbs-up. "Perfectly, Doctor – I can almost forget it was ever gone!"

Forrester nodded happily. "Oh, very good: now you can start back on the _important _experiments."

As nervous laughter filled the room, Anton frowned. _"I don't really envy anyone who has to come to him for help…" _He sighed inwardly. _"Well, he seems to fit _this _Section perfectly, at least."_

"Incidentally, Inspector Langsley, would you be willing to-"

"No."

"Well, perhaps GD could volunteer-"

Behind him, there came the unmistakable sound of a magic bullet being prepared. "_No_." said Arturia icily.

"Fine, fine," replied Forrester, his sunny disposition not shaken whatsoever, "forget that I asked. Now, Inspector, as I was saying…"

If nothing else, talking to the Doctor was a very…enlightening experience. It told Anton the counselor back at the academy who'd dissuaded him from the various science departments deserved a gift basket in the near future – maybe two.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Library – 1115 Hours**

While the Labs had been a clustering bustle of constant noise, this room could be far better described as a perfect singular point…of noise. It was certainly quite inappropriate for a library, but then again, laboratories were technically supposed to have calm environments too. And anyway, even the few interviews he'd had so far had been enough to tell him not to expect things around here.

Many rooms about the multiverse seemed to almost have molds built for them. There was the dirty gas station bathrooms, equipped with a key tougher than any device, the boring waiting rooms, laden down with magazines dated _exactly _fifty years before the current date, and, of course, libraries. This one was fairly standard, as they went, even if it was smaller. Even the small amount of bookcases were practically arranged like a maze, tables and bins were laden down with ones that hadn't been put back yet, and an oppressive silence filled the air.

Or at least this was the atmosphere it was trying for. The space at the back of the wide room didn't quite mesh with the rest of it. A long table stretched in front of two bookcases, forming the next best thing to walls. Instead of bookcases, various tools were cluttered on them almost at random, some smaller brushes almost crushed by unwieldy looking picks. A simmering hotpot sat perched on one end of the table, rattling like something metal had been put inside by mistake. Considering the kind of person the librarian was, that wasn't totally out of the question.

Abruptly, he became aware that the man himself was talking to him, above the squeal of his cart. The inspector made a mental note to approve a can of oil, if he could.

"Excuse me, pardon?" Anton said politely, trying not to sound like he hadn't been paying attention.

"Tried to explain things too fast for ya, eh? I was talking about how I overhauled the library here – before I showed up it was a mess. The guy here didn't know what he was doing."

Anton looked around. "Really? That's hard to believe."

"You wouldn't, would ya?" Daniel Trail said, brushing a hand through his sandy hair. "But he gave these guys an inch, and believe me, they took a mile each. I had to shake a few of them down to get loans back, and that's not exaggerating. And the condition some of them were in, geez…and that's not getting into what some other people were using it for. If I had it my way, the books would be chained down."

Daniel had been described in his file as one of the more normal members of Section Thirteen, but he'd managed to hide it well so far. His role was as new as the additional Sections themselves; with how dangerous Lost Logia could be without information, and how influential that information had been to keeping Midchilda from getting razed, all of them had been assigned a specialist in that area. He was shorter than most, but Mr. Trail more than made up for that by filling his body with knowledge.

And while some of these specialists obtained their expertise through reading books, or translating ancient texts, Daniel gained his by spelunking into ruins directly, alone. This had earned him some fame among the community, and even titles, such as 'crazy', 'a total nut', 'a danger to himself, others, and the countryside," and so on. One of the less crude ones was 'Human Avalanche', both due to his earth magic and his habit of breaking almost as many things as he recovered. It wasn't really a habit or anything, but it had earned him arrest warrants nonetheless, from different sources and for different reasons: from the Bureau for irresponsible use of magic and disrupting the peace, and from the Belkan Preservation Society, for conducting digs without a license and for destroying several priceless (according to them) artifacts.

Another difference was that the Bureau's warrant required his head still be attached when he was handed over.

But actually arresting the young archeologist proved to be a bit more difficult than on paper. For one thing, Daniel never stayed in any one place for very long, constantly moving from city to city, world to world, always searching for his next dig and taking every possession with him when he did. His Device and Linker Core signature had also not been registered with the Bureau, leaving them with only ordinary reports as his trail. This too was unreliable, as among those who _didn't _want him dead Daniels was something of a folk hero. The exact nature of his magic also let him quite literally vanish before their eyes.

So, after numerous encounters that ended in near-arrests and eludes, it was ironic that Daniel's apprehension came from him saving _them. _Upon receiving an anonymous tip that he was conducting a one-man dig (as usual) on a notable administrated world, the enforcer team there moved into action. The information led them to an extensive mountain range on the wilderness of the planet, filled with miles worth of valleys, peaks, and hidden caverns. It was this treacherous terrain that the mages were heading into, regardless of any proper training.

Granted, finding Daniel didn't take very long, with how he usually conducted his digs. But the operation quickly turned sour when they did, as Daniel quickly fled into the caverns, his experience in underground travel and earth-based magic letting him run circles around the team. He wasn't a professionally trained mage by any means, and being made a fool of by someone like that so easily would make anyone lose their cool.

And lose it they did – one of the team, growing frustrated after around the tenth time Daniel had slipped away from their binds effortlessly, had aimed a missile spell at his retreating head, meaning to take him unconscious if not awake. Whatever merits shooting off an attack spell underground might have had, however, were quickly proven false. Daniel managed to deflect the spell, which rebounded straight into the ceiling; it wasn't exactly _un_stable, given the territory, but something designed to knock out a mage wasn't going to do any structure favors. The ensuing cave-in was quick and brutal, sending rocks falling down on the entire team. Only the split-second reflexes of a few kept them from being crushed instantly, and a collapsing cave wasn't something that could be shrugged off with a couple barriers. Things looked bad…

…but, thankfully, Daniel had a conscience. It was sort of a prerequisite for archeologists, really. Working quickly, the young man managed to free his pursuers from their free early grave with his own magic, whereupon they arrested him in the most genial way possible. The trial came and went fairly quickly, as well, since Daniel's method of responding to accusations was to shrug and say 'Yeah, I did that, sorry', and it was obvious he hadn't intended to commit any crimes. Besides, letting him go _free _with the mob that had formed around the courthouse would only have been an elaborate death sentence, which the Bureau didn't quite go in for.

Daniel liked archeology almost as much as he liked helping people (although he couldn't discuss one long enough to drive someone to tears), so he had readily accepted their offer of employment. Like many of the others he'd spoken to so far, he appeared to have come to Section Thirteen of his own volition. Anton hadn't quite figured out what the draw was for the place, and it was starting to bug him.

He looked at the librarian again, craning his neck downward to do so. Daniel was barely twenty years old, but looking at his body, you wouldn't think he had gone further than about twelve. At just a smidge shy of five feet tall, he was the second-shortest member of Section Thirteen, and all of it slim and un-muscular. He had probably gained a few less flattering names than 'Human Avalanche', but his choice of device and magic meant no-one with common sense would say them to his face.

But even in a body that short, Daniel had managed to fit in countless signs of experience. His skin was dirty all over, covered in a dust that couldn't simply be washed away, while his hair was an extremely unkempt light-brown that seemed much the same. If it were possible for eyes to be unclean without pain, his world-weary blue ones probably would be too. Rather than a Bureau uniform, he wore his archeology outfit, a well worn vest-shirt and pants combination; every bit of it was covered in pockets big and small.

"Do you really get that many visitors to the library, Mister Trail?" Anton asked dubiously.

Daniel frowned. "'Mister' Trail is my father. Just call me Daniel, guy."

The Inspector coughed. "Ah, thanks, but I think I'll keep professional, if it's all the same to you. I'm only here for today, after all."

"Whatever." Daniel said with a shrug. Stopping his cart (a mercy to Anton's ears, no matter how temporary), he put another couple books back. A few clusters of dust rose off them too as he did.

"And yeah, we kinda do." he added. His expression was a bit strange. "To uh, put it lightly, not _every _book in here is for research purposes, you get my drift?"

Anton nodded understandingly. "Well, of course." It was only proper protocol (not to mention common sense) to have outlets of relief for staff. Even a deskjob in the Bureau could be exhausting…_or so they say, anyway_.

Daniel's eyebrow shot straight up. "_Of course_? Sheesh, now I'm glad you're only here for one day. Last thing this place needs is another guy like the Major – personality-wise, anyway. He ordered most of 'em, see."

"…I see." Anton replied, not quite sure he was getting where the conversation was going.

The archeologist seemed to pick up on this. "Oh, guess you didn't. Sorry, you just looked…uh, nevermind."

He carried on ahead, Anton following behind. He began to look at the books on the shelves – as Daniel said, there _did _seem to be quite a lot of them. They turned a corner, and abruptly the labels became more…colorful; quite a lot more extravagant, too. Stopping in his tracks, he hesitantly reached out and withdrew it…

…only to shove it back as quickly as he could, cheeks reddening. Dusting himself off, he cleared his throat and looked down at the green-covered tome.

"Akashic, could you-"

"_No, young master."_

Anton sighed. "Yep, of course." He hurried to catch up with Daniel, who had begun an argument with his Device.

"_At least now I know why those two didn't want to come in here."_

Daniel was tapping what seemed to be a small digging trowel. "Dangit, Lithic, I thought I told you to remind me about this one! Now I gotta go waste my time getting it back from her."

It glowed. _"No use, chief." _The device stated matter-of-factly in a male voice. _"She'd get extension either way."_

His master's cheeks reddened. "W-who says, you big-mouthed shovel!?"

He noticed Anton looking at him and hurriedly jabbed a thumb upward. "Uh, Inspector, you been up to the greenhouse yet?"

"The Terrarium, you mean?" Anton echoed.

Daniel shrugged. "Whatever. If you're heading that way later, could you ask Otavi to give back that plant book already? She'll know if you ask her."

"Oh, certainly," Anton said with a smile and nod, "a little problem like that won't take long."

He realized his error about one nanosecond after the words came out. "Heh heh…" Daniel chuckled, adopting a much wider smile. Well, his teeth were showing, anyway. "…'little problem', huh – you know, Inspector, some people might consider that a slur against people who are height-challenged, if you didn't notice."

Grasping at the lifeline extended out to him, Anton hoped it wasn't really a snake. "Oh, r-really? I didn't think of that, actually."

"Oh, of course," Daniel said, his mouth widening, "I can tell you're not the kind of guy who goes around making _rude _comments like that to people…right?"

Anton nodded with enough force to cause whiplash. "No, not at all; I'm glad you're such a good judge of character, Librarian."

A smile and nod passed between them. "Ha ha ha," Daniel laughed again, "you know what, Inspector?"

"W-what?" Anton stuttered, taking a step backward. _"I doubt I can come up with a bind that quickly, but one of my barriers might stop him, and then maybe I can-"_

"You're alright." Daniel smiled wryly.

Anton blinked, positively flabbergasted. "R-really?"

"Yup. Now why don't you get outta here before you _actually _make me angry, huh?"

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Terrarium – 1140 Hours**

Anton didn't have much of a sense for flora, but he had to admit the area was beautiful. It was only a small room, but almost every spare space was filled with a flowerpot, flowerbed, or flower…was there a third one? He'd have to look that up later. Anyway, it meant that he had to be careful opening the door, and coming through the path to the room's center.

"I must apologize for the untidiness here, Inspector." Arturia remarked from ahead of him. "Our gardener seems reluctant to trim it down, despite numerous suggestions."

**"Statement: indeed, Lady Lackland, but given her exact nature, this may be unacceptable for Miss Otavi."**

Arturia only shrugged. "Even so. This room was specially made for Miss Otavi, and I cannot say I agree with such special treatment, however unique she may be. But the Major had it built, and he is the one in charge."

"_The Major again – I keep hearing about him." _Anton thought. _"Now I'm wondering what he'll be like in person."_

It might have just been his imagination, but the young inspector thought he saw the plants on either side of them…_shift _slightly. Well, that wasn't particularly strange in Bureau space, was it? When things like dragons were considered normal, if extremely rare, animals, unusual plants

Finally, they reached a small clearing in the center of the room. The light reaching through the glass roof was especially strong here, and someone had set up benches and a table. It was quiet, too. Anton looked around; the closest thing he had to greenery in his office was a lone potted flower, so seeing this much of it on all sides was unique. He took a deep breath, enjoying it far more than he expected to.

"So," Anton said eagerly, "where is Miss Otavi?"

"Hello." said a quiet voice…into his ear.

The flowers had relaxed him so much he didn't even jump, even if one or two of his organs did. Anton turned around carefully.

What met his eyes wasn't scary on paper. In fact, it should have been quite pleasant: a petite, slender young girl with long, deep green hair and identical eyes. She wore the dress-variant of the Bureau's female uniform, adorned with flowers in several places. What truly drew his eyes were the girl's, however. The same color as her hair, they held a quiet attraction; when you stared into them, looking away proved quite difficult, like now.

A clank came from nearby, and his head was gently moved to one side, breaking the spell. Embarrassed, Anton nodded his thanks to GD and looked away quickly.

Arturia glared over him at the girl. "Otavi, I have told you many times: visitors are not your playthings."

Blinking once, the girl clasped her hands and bowed. "I am sorry."

Anton held up a reassuring hand. "T-that's all right, really. I'm fine." He extended it. "I'm Anton Langsley, an Inspector who came here on business. You can just call me Anton, if you want."

"…" the girl looked down at his hand like it was some kind of exotic, spiky fruit. Finally, she reached out with some hesitance, grasped Anton's hand, and shook it gently. "Hello. It is nice to meet you." She curtsied.

A moment of silence passed, and discomfort washed over Anton slightly. Clearing his throat, he motioned over to one of the tables. "U-um, shall we sit down?"

Otavi nodded slowly, and followed him to the set of furniture. He watched her sideways as they did, and when they sat down, abruptly realized why he had felt uncomfortable.

He'd read that GD's old squad-mates had felt unnerved by the droid at times, and this was understandable: a machine trying to act human couldn't always do so perfectly, and he must have known that. The various mannerisms he used were probably ways of putting people at ease. But Otavi was more than a tad machine-like herself, and going by the stare she was giving him now seemed unaware of that. It wasn't exactly bad, but he could see how being alone with her a few minutes could be more than a little uncomfortable.

Anton looked around, twiddling his fingers. "This is a very nice garden, Miss Otavi. Did you plant it all yourself?"

He turned back to see her mimicking his action. She stopped upon noticing he had, and nodded. "…yes, I did. Thank you for the compliment."

"Anyone would have." Anton said reassuringly. "I know I couldn't have made anything like this if I tried."

The girl didn't answer, only tilting her head at his comment. He coughed, searching for another icebreaker.

Thankfully, due to his choice of order, he had one prepared. "Librarian Trail was asking about a book you borrowed, actually. Apparently you've kept if for quite a while…?"

Concern flashed across the girl's face for a moment. "Oh." Turning in her chair without a word, she gestured…toward the plants.

Before Anton could comprehend why, they began to move, shifting and writhing like a whole, single life-form. The bush there parted, and a hard-cover book came through. Taking it, Otavi walked over and handed it off to the plants on the room's opposite side. It disappeared, and she smiled.

"It is done."

A moment later, there came a bump from below, very similar to a broom being struck against a ceiling.

"_If I've told you once, I've told you a million times, Otavi: keep your weeds outta my library!"_

The girl's smile grew slightly.

Anton paused again, trying to search for another topic after that. He failed, and his mind once more turned to the knowledge he'd acquired on the situation at hand.

When ruins from Ancient Belkan were uncovered, the 'spoils' excavated by the archeology teams usually amounted to little. Some sculptures, perhaps, or a half dead Storage Device; overall, the wars hadn't been terribly courteous to the research community. Anything not related to battle or an extension of it was often in disrepair.

They usually _didn't _include a young girl sleeping inside of a capsule, looking like they'd just turned in for the night amidst the remains of a broken castle. The capsule didn't look particularly moveable, so the team had called in the Bureau staff supervising them. After a brief inspection that had determined the girl was alive, Headquarters had been notified.

For a long moment, rumors swept through them. Who knew what stories this girl had to tell about her home kingdom, and what holes she could fill in the lost Belkan history? After all, if she had been sealed away like that for so long, then imagine the knowledge she must carry! It wasn't as though she would be…

…completely, totally, and utterly amnesiac, right? That's the sort of cruel joke that really _shouldn't_ happen to a benevolent-minded organization like the Time-Space Administration Bureau, isn't it?

Apparently fate thought otherwise – the girl couldn't remember a blasted thing, not even why she had been put to sleep in the first place. Presumably the capsule had malfunctioned somehow over the years, but after studying every inch of it, no such error could be found. Not that the girl was very forthcoming on how the device was meant to work, of course.

Studying her yielded more, but not by very much. The girl was a mage, and a fairly powerful one at that, and seemed to have an affinity for plants. In any case, with Otavi – the name that had been on the capsule – in such a state, they couldn't simply leave her be. She had bounced around several posts, never serving an official position, but generally left quickly for much the same reasons as GD, as well as her lack of attention, and…odd personality. Perhaps it was due to the amnesia.

With so little information to go on, Anton decided to wing it. What was the worse that could happen…well; he could answer that, but chose not to. His analytical nature was not a friend in this regard.

"So…" he began, "how has the weather been, lately? The weather in Gardius can change without warning, or so I'm told."

Otavi smiled. Her eyes might have been odd, but that gesture alone was calming. "Yes. We are enjoying a heat wave currently, but there is no telling how long it will last. The plants are even wondering it."

This gave Anton pause. "The...plants are?"

The gardener nodded firmly. "Yes. With Gardius' unique weather, they are very hardy and talkative." Her expression clouded. "But…it is strange. For the past two weeks, the temperature has been steadily rising, even beyond that of a normal wave. Very strange..."

"Oh?" Anton scratched his head, again unsure how to reply. "Well, how about your teammates? Are you getting along well together?" Arturia stiffening behind him practically made a sound of its own.

Otavi's smile returned. "They are all kind. The Major, Captain and Corporal have been very friendly to me."

Anton smiled back. "I'm glad to hear that. It's always nice to have friends, isn't it?"

Tilting her head, the girl looked at him. "Hmm…are you sure?"

The Inspector flinched slightly and leaned back. "…yes, I think so."

"I see." Otavi answered simply. "Very well, then."

She sat forward in her chair expectantly. Anton blinked in confusion, and then spoke up again. "Well…"

It continued like that for a while, him introducing small talk and her answering quietly. He wasn't really sure whether or not she was enjoying his company, but she didn't seem to _dis_like it, either. She was a unique person to talk to; like a blank slate just waiting to be filled up. Despite the casualness of the conversation, various facts about Section Thirteen bubbled to the surface that he wouldn't have learned ordinarily.

Then, a sharp beep from Akashic indicated his meeting with Otavi was up. The enigmatic girl seemed to realize this, and frowned unhappily.

Anton could only offer an apologetic shrug. "I'm sorry, but that's my job. I can't sit here talking to you all day, as much as I'd want to."

Standing up, he reached across the table and ruffled Otavi's long hair, smiling. "I have to go now, but in case I ever come here again, why don't you plant a few more flowers? There might even be some that would suit a stuffy guy like me, huh?"

The girl's expression turned strange again, with her eyes slightly distant. For the briefest of moments, they suddenly glowed, a fact Anton wasn't willing to put off as simple imagination. Otavi said nothing for a long moment. Just as he was about to break the silence, the girl shook her head quietly. "No, that won't happen." she said with barely a whisper, averting her eyes.

"…heh heh," Anton chuckled defensively, "I guess there's no flower ugly enough for that, huh?"

Otavi bowed low. "Goodbye…I am sorry." Without saying another word, she turned and fled back into the plants, which opened freely for their master and then snapped shut, leaving the three alone in the room.

"Goodbye, then." Anton said to nothing in particular. He had a feeling like he'd just kicked a lost puppy, and didn't know why.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Helipad – 1210 Hours**

Stepping confidently through the double doors of Section Thirteen's deployment center, Anton blinked in confusion as he and his escorts found themselves in the middle of an office maelstrom. People were rushing past them, and the hectic nature in the air indicated this wasn't simple routine like in the labs.

"_C'mon, people, are you seriously _this _stupid?"_

The source of it all was a figure in a dirty work uniform and baseball cap standing behind a large megaphone, saying with normal words what another person would have used a roaring shout for. Even Anton felt like standing at attention.

Their back was to the three, and didn't notice as they approached, allowing Anton to look around the room. It was wide, taking up almost the building's entire third floor that wasn't used by the Terrarium, and it certainly used the space. In addition to its use as a helipad, the room was also technically for storage; large boxes of various contents were placed everywhere, some open, some closed, along with equipment for unloading it. In the center of the room was Section Thirteen's helicopter, installed with a top of the line Storage Device, spacious enough to carry every member of the usual away team and strong enough to lift heavy loads. It was placed on part of the floor that could rise up to the roof, which itself could move aside to allow this. It was from here that Section Thirteen was dispatched for missions; Anton couldn't help but gape.

"_Seems to me that 'batteries shouldn't be stored near the bottled water' was something you could have cottoned onto a while ago, but who am I to judge, right?"_

The supervisor continued her direction, not shouting but not needing to, as the three walked up. Arturia cleared her throat. "Captain Stromhold, the Inspector is here to see you."

Finally lowering the megaphone and turning around, the walking loudspeaker revealed themselves as a fit older woman of average height. She had short brown hair, like Anton, but far messier. The face surrounding her fierce hazel eyes bore marks that made Daniel's look smooth as a baby's by comparison. Scars, remnants of burns, and innumerous other wounds, all gained throughout her years of duty. Each represented a small sacrifice the woman had made to protect the innocent.

Stepping forward, Anton extended a hand toward her, a wide smile on his face. "I'm Inspector Anton Langsley, ma'am. It's an honor to meet you."

Captain Stromhold stared down at the hand for a moment, and then looked back up with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah, and? You're a bit late on that, kid: after so many people say it, that kind of loses its charm."

Slowly, Anton withdrew his gesture. Jeanne Stromhold was only a minor legend among the mage community, eclipsed by so many others, but among rescue workers of all departments she shone like a star. In her nearly two decades of Bureau service, she had been involved with rescue and aid operations for fires, earthquakes, floods, and other far less natural disasters on many different worlds. But what had also molded her into a woman of fast action had also made her a tad – just a tad – prickly.

He gestured to the situation around them. "Well, do you have this under control, Captain, or should I come back later?"

Jeanne looked back, and then snorted. "It can't get worse than this if I take a little break, I guess. C'mon."

She began to lead Anton away, then turned back and pointed at his escorts. "Hey, you guys; go make yourselves useful and help out around here, alright?"

Arturia frowned. "782 and I are currently escorting the Inspector, Captain, so we cannot-"

"I don't care, just do it." Jeanne said simply. "He'll be busy for a bit anyway, right?"

The knight frowned, but it wasn't in her nature to disobey a commanding officer, even one that wasn't her own. "Yes, Captain. Come along, GD."

"**Statement: at once, Lady Lackland."**

Anton watched them go for a moment, wondering what Jeanne had meant by that, before following the rescue officer. She led him across the busy room to a small door in the corner, which opened to reveal a cozy, sparsely decorated office. A desk was in the center, piled high with paperwork.

Jeanne stepped in ahead of him. "Make yourself at home, kid. Sorry about the mess – you know how it is."

"I certainly do," Anton said with complete honesty, sitting down in a spare chair, "but not usually so much of it. Is it true you handle everything concerning this base's supplies?"

She shrugged, sitting down with a sigh. The megaphone was placed on the desk, whereupon it glowed and became a small spanner wrench. "Along with a few other things here and there, yeah. Paperwork seems to be a rare skill here that I'm lucky enough to have. Lucky, right?"

"_No." _the wrench said bluntly.

Jeanne shrugged. "Flashpoint here's a little single-minded. Probably my fault."

Anton looked down at his book. "Well, it depends on the device, really."

"_Noted, Young Master." _murmured Akashic, in a voice fit to make him shiver. Recovering quickly, he gestured to the stack. "So, that's all your work, is it?"

The woman was almost dwarfed by it all. Anton scratched his forehead. "I…hadn't realized combat mages generated this much paperwork."

"Huh?" Jeanne looked to him, puzzlement present on her face. "Nah, this is all just stuff you get naturally with a bunch of people living together, government or otherwise. If you want to give someone pity, I'd point you at the Major; he's the one who has to deal with all the red tape we leave behind when we do, well, _anything_."

Anton chuckled. "There must be quite a lot of it, from the people I've seen so far." Realizing what he'd just said, he stammered, "I, I mean-"

To his amazement, Jeanne only laughed. "What," she asked happily, "you thought I'd get mad at you calling those guys a pack of idiots? I figured _that _much out on my first day here."

Her laughter was rough, yet infectious. Anton found himself mimicking it. "It isn't that hard to tell, really. Not a very deceptive audience for my first assignment, I must say."

Jeanne snorted back in reply. "First days? Tch, don't talk to me about first days, kid. You wouldn't believe what I ran into on day one…"

Then, without pausing, she launched into an extensive, firsthand retelling of her first day on the job. Anton didn't interrupt – you might as well stop the tides from coming in, and in any case he was quite curious. What followed was certainly an eye opened for him. He'd never imagined a first assignment could involve two gas line explosions, a miles-long fire, and threecollapsed skyscrapers. The Inspector thought back to his first day at the office…upon reflection, it had been a lot like his _second _day. And his third.

Finally, Jeanne concluded her tale. She suddenly blinked. "Oh, geez, how long was I talking for? Sorry, kid, I tend to bitch a lot when I get going. Don't think too hard about it; you're a little young for that side of things."

"…um, if you say so."

Jeanne managed to make even supply busywork seem interesting, and he listened intently for several more minutes. After he thought he'd learned enough about how she did things in her department, Anton stood up and nodded. "You've been very informative, Captain. Thank you for your help."

The former rescue officer snorted. "Compared to the rest of these guys, yeah, I probably was." She smiled slightly. "But thanks anyway, kid. Hope the rest of your visit goes as well."

Anton laughed again. "Well, hopefully; if you'll excuse me now, Captain."

All in all, it had been a very good meeting: relaxing, mutually courteous, and knowledgeable.

A shame the next one wouldn't be nearly as productive…or maybe not, depending on your point of view.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Third Floor Corridor – 1240 Hours**

"Well," Arturia said briskly as they walked out of the helipad, "this appears to be all of us, Inspector. How have you found Section Thirteen so far?" Her face and body were flushed slightly, but this seemed to be only a minor inconvenience.

Anton turned back and gave the knight a look of confusion. "All of you, Lieutenant? What about Captain Triad? I haven't spoken to her yet."

She paused for a long moment, and then said carefully, "I'm afraid there would be no point in that, Inspector. I do not believe the Captain has any perspective that the other officers have not. You may as well go speak with the Major now."

A lot of people in the Bureau studied the idea of alternate dimensions. Something as simple as a yes or no question, the theory went, could create entirely new universes from the possibilities involved. Hundreds, thousands of what-ifs, could-have-beens. They were usually ignored or told to get some sleep by their superiors, but one alternate world was created now. In it, Anton agreed, finished his work, went home and got on with other things. Not a bad result, compared to some others that could have occurred…at least, not for a few months."

But in _this _universe, he shook his head. "No, I was ordered to interview all of you, Lieutenant, and that includes your captain as well. Do you know where she is now?"

Arturia looked into his eyes and then sighed. "Very well, Inspector, follow me."

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Dormitories Staff Quarters, Officer Wing – 1243 Hours**

"This is Captain Triad's room, Inspector." Arturia said, sniffing slightly. "She is usually still asleep around this time."

"**Assessment: the Captain seems to dislike awakening before noon, at the very earliest."**

Anton frowned slightly; in the Langsley household, most everyone got up at six am sharp, seven on weekends and holidays. He couldn't help feeling a mild dislike for the captain knowing she didn't share the same schedule. Oh well; nothing he couldn't get over when they spoke. Right?

Raising a hand, he knocked sharply on the door. A moment passed, but there came not a sound from within. Anton frowned, knocking again. Nothing. Now a bit annoyed, he reached for the doorknob…

"**Warning: Inspector, I detect-"**

"AAAHH!" the young man screamed as his hand touched the brass, now blisteringly hot. The one responsible was skilled enough to keep the wood around it from outright bursting into flame, but that was the only concession they'd made. Anton twitched his fingers, wincing: they were already red-hot, and throbbing. Just like the flame, anger rose up in him, unfamiliar as it was. Alright, if she wanted to play it like that – summoning wind around his hand, he reached for the doorknob.

The spell vanished like a puff of smoke as the door actually opened, exposing a glare that would have made the Bureau's finest Special Ops sorry for disturbing its owner.

Alyssa Triad, on the whole, was far from an unattractive woman, even if there were a few certain other ladies people would (gladly) have put ahead of her. If not outright beautiful, she was at least attractive: long red hair, full grey eyes, and a body tightened by the physical rigors of the Bureau. But like road-kill arriving in a china plate, certain…_other _aspects of her made them less obvious.

After continuing her glare for a moment further, making Anton shift uncomfortably, she turned toward Arturia. "So, tin can, who's this guy and why's he important enough to get me up? Ten words or less, or I'm going back to bed." Yeah, she was a real charmer.

Arturia met the glare and returned it twofold. "This, Captain, is Inspector Langsley, our visitor from Headquarters." She gestured toward him. "He-"

"That's ten; see ya later."

She made to shut the door, but something got in the way: Anton's foot. Wincing inwardly, he stuck Akashic into his armpit and held up both hands. "Inspector from Headquarters." He said, counting off each finger. "Wanted to talk to you. Please?" He smiled.

A moment passed, and then Alyssa smirked. "See? Was that so hard, Arturia?" She held the door open to let in a relieved Anton, then slammed it shut again.

The knightess stood still for a moment further, staring at the blank door. Then, evidently not receiving the answer she sought, turned and stalked off. "Come, 782. We are going to spar."

"**Resignation: yes, Lady Lackland."**

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen, Captain Triad's Quarters – 1245 Hours**

"Okay, that," Alyssa said with a snicker, "was _totally _worth getting up early. Thanks a lot: I was only staying in for fifteen more anyway."

Anton's lip quirked, not just at the statement but at the state of the room he found himself in. To be blunt, it was a mess. If there were a check-list of what amounted to a pig-sty then Alyssa had checked off every box, and then added a few just for good measure. Cloths were hung everywhere (he now noticed she'd come to the door in nothing but a wrinkled t-shirt and jeans), an odor hung in the air like a gas spell, and as he took a step forward something squelched underfoot. He suppressed a shudder before he spoke. "Um, no. Just an inspector from headquarters, like I said. I've spoken to everyone else here, so I-"

"Seriously?" she squelched back a laugh, flopping back down on her bed. "Hope you didn't waste too much time coming up here, four-eyes-"

"My name's Anton."

"-'cause there are probably grunts here that know more than I do." She pointed upward. "You talked to Jeanne, right? She can speak for both of us, really."

A frown creased across the young inspector's face as she said this, and he couldn't quite stop himself saying, "How can you talk like that? You're a captain, aren't you?" He had read a few negative things in Captain Triad's file, but nothing that said she had this kind of attitude.

She glanced up, her cheer fading to annoyance. "You an expert on being a captain then, buddy? I didn't ask to get promoted for this squad – I'll play along, 'cause it was the Major, but don't ask me to do an interview about it."

Another thing he hadn't heard about: the Major was proving to be quite the peculiar figure. The tone of her voice said it might go badly for him if he pressed further, but press he did. "But becoming captain is what so many people in the Bureau dream of! How can you act like you don't care?"

"Because I don't?" Alyssa replied, the same way someone would answer 'why is the sky blue?'. "Maybe it's because of where I'm from, but I've never really felt like it was a big deal."

Anton stopped. He'd forgotten about that while running his mouth, hadn't he? While Alyssa hadn't technically been born outside the Bureau, she had every right not to think of it as a very happy citizenship. No matter what you did, every nation had its orphans, and when that nation extended across planets you could only get more of them. Alyssa had been one, and her life would almost certainly have been far less noteworthy (and far _shorter)_, if she had not been adopted by a certain man, known only as The Triad.

Even as many times as he and the Bureau had crossed paths, the information on him was scarce. His real name was unknown – if Alyssa knew, she wasn't telling – and what exactly the moniker meant, likewise. Some rumors said he could use all three of the main elements of magic, fire, ice and lightning. But that was nonsense, of course. So it was probably just a coincidence that Alyssa, along with two other children adopted by him, had Mana Conversion Abilities of Fire, Ice and Lightning respectively.

What they did know was that the Triad was a mercenary of sorts, and eventually his children began to join him on jobs. That by itself would have made him distasteful to many among the Bureau, but he had a habit of taking any job, no matter what it was or who it made his enemy. As you might expect, this led to some…unpleasantness.

By the time they'd finally found his location (he was on the move constantly), the Enforcers had more than had enough of him getting in their way. It was for his own good too, frankly. He was chaotic, but not outright malicious, so there was no point in them being enemies.

But try telling that to him and his children, who fought tooth and nail that day. It was anyone's guess what was going through their heads, but when the dust cleared, The Triad had vanished, leaving nothing but half an injured Enforcer team in his wake. Ditto for the children representing ice and lightning: only Alyssa had been left behind.

She had been about twelve then, and if you thought it might be hard teaching someone that age that you weren't villains after making her whole family disappear…well, you were right, actually. It took months for her to come around at first, and even then she went about the volunteer work like she had a grudge against it, which was how she did a lot of things. If Alyssa felt she had an obligation, she'd fulfill it, but expecting her to enjoy it? A bad idea. If the Major had earned real royalty from her, he must have done something really special.

Even after Anton had stuck his foot in his mouth, though, he couldn't quite keep it shut on this subject. "But-"

Alyssa let out a heavy sigh, scratching at her cheek. "Look…you know, if you care this much about it, why aren't you an officer? You're uptight enough for it."

Now he was the one put on the spot. "Well, um, I-"

It had only been a casual question, but the captain leaned forward. "No, seriously. You must have some reason, right?"

Well there was one thing about her that was fitting of her rank – the look in the young woman's eyes practically forced the answer out of him. "I…wouldn't be any good at it, that's all."

"Aw, come on-"

Abruptly, he flomped down on a nearby chair, not seeming to notice it was piled with tossed clothes. People's real feelings could be funny sometimes; when you got them talking about it, the flood-gates just came straight down. "Oh, I _wish _it had been my decision. No, that was what my father told me, and my counselor back at the academy after they'd spoken together. Too dangerous for a mage like me, they said, never-mind there are a ton of combat mages at a lower rank. He just doesn't want-"

He trailed off into a coughing fit, groping for his inhaler and taking a long huff.

"Oh, alright," Alyssa said above the wheeze, "for a second I thought it would be more interesting."

"W-what!?" Anton said without thinking, resulting in another brief bit of hacking.

She shrugged, sitting back down. "If you just gave up 'cause someone told you to, that's pretty boring, is all. It looked like there was more to you than that."

"…what do you mean?" he asked more quietly, leaning forward this time. "He said that-"

"Shaddup." she said irritably. "Who cares _what _he said? If you're just going along with it, then you're just as much of the problem."

Anton stared, and Alyssa could only sigh. "Well, seriously: 'He told me not to, so I guess it doesn't matter what I want now!' That's what you sound like."

"That's…not really-"

The captain pointed a finger into his face. "You ask me, if you're letting someone shove you into a square hole, then you're just as much of the problem. I wouldn't spend more than one hour doing something I didn't want to do, _especially_ if there was something I wanted more. If you don't think the same way, maybe you really _aren't _cut out for this line of work. It takes brave people."

She expected him to get mad, maybe talk back; what she didn't was for the guy to slowly sag, hanging his head like a little kid. Dammit, she'd only meant-

Like any awkward moment, it needed a way to break it up. Alyssa probably wouldn't have picked alarm klaxons to do it, though.

"_Everyone, report to the helipad ASAP; a War Armor's been sighted in the city. That means you too, Triad."_

Alyssa scowled. _"Always has to be me, doesn't it?"_

Looking down, she cleared her throat. "Uh, look, I have to-"

Anton stood up so fast that the chair fell over. "I – I'm coming too!"

A quiet moment passed…and then Alyssa grinned. "_Now _we're talkin'."

_To be continued…_

_Next time, Section Thirteen (and Anton) move out to deal with the attacking War Armors before they can damage the city, along with a few special presents from their sender. The only question is what are they after? And can Anton hack it as a combat mage, or should he have washed up in the first place?_

_**First Sortie**__, coming soon._

Well, there's the first chapter done. It took the greater part of three months to finish completely, so I hope it's as nice to read as it was to write. And like one Mozco said, if I've besmirched Nanoha canon, be it in the main series or supplementary materials, feel free to let me know, and I'll hurriedly shove it under the rug. I'm pretty good at that.

Until next time, see ya.


	2. First Sortie

**Planet Gardius – Prism Street Construction Site – 1235 Hours**

Gardius Capital City was a booming industry as of late, with numerous businesses and independent shops all being established and constructed. So it wasn't very out of the ordinary to see heavy construction being conducted there, even on its busiest streets; for some people the constant jackhammering had become like an old friend. And as we all know, having a friend yell in your ear constantly was better than a complete stranger doing it. Somehow.

One of these sites was on Prism Street, perhaps the most trafficked area of the city. The building, an office skyscraper, was roughly in its center, and considering what was shortly about to occur there, it was fortunate that traffic control had quite skillfully vacated the space around it hours before. But for the meantime, the workers hurried around, erecting the building's skeleton with either magic or ordinary equipment, depending on their preference. This was partially the reason for the traffic diversion: a lot could go wrong with magic, even in a casual situation like this.

At least, that was the _official_reasoning.

In any case, the workers' pace had decreased, and they were wiping their brows. As Otavi had pointed out, the temperature had been steadily rising over the past two weeks, in defiance of Gardius' erratic weather, and it didn't show signs of lowering any time soon. To make matters worse, their lunch hour had been pushed back quite a bit, adding hunger to their list of worries. They didn't like it, but since no-one really wanted to go tell the boss they weren't working because of _heat_, the only thing to do was put up with it.

Suddenly, a large truck turned the corner onto their street and drove toward them. The workers blinked in confusion - weren't the roads supposed to be closed around here? But then they saw the logo on the side of the vehicle, and hurredly snapped to attention.

It stopped as it came up close, and a young man poked his head out the driver door. "Hey, guys; boss thought you might be able to use these."

The back door slid up, revealing a pleasing sight: several cases of Angelo Corporation's patented bottled water. Refreshing to the taste buds, cooling to the skin, and it never seemed to get cold. There were rumors that magic had gone into its distillation at some point, but these were largely unconfirmed aside from hearsay. The Bureau had far better things to investigate than beverage fraud, anyway.

Smiling happily, the workers flocked to the truck, each accepting one bottle. It was as delicious as usual, and what timing - just before their lunch break!

So distracted were they by this helpful (perhaps _divine_) intervention, the workers didn't notice two more trucks, identical to their own, pull in and stop facing the building. They wouldn't have batted an eye in ordinary circumstances, but now it wasn't even noticed. Shortly after, the workers left for their lunch breaks, all leaving for local food joints. Unhealthy or not, they had air conditioning, and that made them a cut above eating out in this heat.

The new trucks sat there for a while, as everyone packed up and left. When they had gone, there was a moment of isolated silence.

Then both vehicles exploded.

**Section Thirteen**

**Chapter One: First Sortie**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen, Captain Triad's Quarters – 1250 Hours**

Anton sometimes liked to imagine he'd one day sit on a woman's bed while she disrobed in front of him, but watching it done in reverse was somewhat less exciting. He could already tell from their brief interactions that Alyssa wasn't exactly the cornerstone of femininity, but that seemed to be only a technicality in the clothing department.

"_Father would have a conniption if he saw all this…" _the Inspector mused, looking at the room around him. He hadn't had time to notice until after the alert was called, but she'd clearly made her mark upon these tiny quarters. In addition to the clothes now scattered everywhere, there were numerous food containers lying around. Amazingly, there were no flies, although certain scorch marks in the carpet might have explained that one.

Overall, the room was slobbish and uncleanly, but…well, it seemed to fit her.

Finally, Alyssa emerged from the cavernous closet buttoning up her Bureau Uniform, a red-on-black affair. "Alright," she said cheerfully, "let's go save the city, shall we?"

She put it so nonchalantly, too. _"Probably her way of reassuring me." _Anton thought. He realized something was missing. "Um, what about your device, Captain?"

Alyssa's face contorted slightly. "Oh right, thanks. I guess, anyway: he's a total pain in the ass to wake up early."

The hypocrisy of that statement hung in the air as she stretched out her arm at the bedside table. Its drawer rattled for a moment, as though struggling with something, and then flew open, a small red pen snapping into her hand.

Almost instantly the jewel set in its cap glowed, and Alyssa's hand burst into flame. Ignoring the choked, panicked cry from Anton, she waved it idly, scattering the embers like a mere fly.

"Yeah, yeah," she muttered, glaring at the writing implement, "get it off your chest quick, because we've got work to do, Bowie."

A boyish electronic grumble came from the device. _"I was having a nice nap, boss…"_

Shrugging, Alyssa gave him a light flick. "Well, you better wake up then, huh? We got trouble in the city – should be interesting."

Anton raised an eyebrow. There were many things a direct attack on a Bureau-overseen city could be called, but he wouldn't have added 'interesting' to it.

Instantly the device perked up. _"Why didn't you say so? Now we're talking!" _It didn't have a mouth, of course, but Anton couldn't help but imagine it was grinning.

"Well, at least they suit each-other, eh, Akashic?" he said quietly to his tome.

"…_he is noisy." _the device replied with the assurance of someone who has been given a bad first impression, and intends to keep it firmly in mind.

Not noticing this, Alyssa nodded. "Alright, I thought that'd get your attention." She turned to Anton and waved a casual hand. "This is the Inspector and his partner; say hi."

He waved back. "Hello, Bowie."

"_Sup?" _He paused. _"Inspector of _what_?"_

Alyssa shrugged. "Not important. Let's go." she said, giving Anton a nod before leaving the room, not looking behind to see if he was following.

Standing up, he adjusted his own uniform and nodded. "Alright, let's go."

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Helipad – 1253 Hours**

By the time Alyssa and Anton got to the Helipad, all of the other Riot Force officers had gathered by the helicopter, its propellers already spinning rapidly. Fortunately, it didn't seem like they'd been waiting long, although Ace and Daniel did seem a bit impatient. The others were lounging around the vehicle, Jeanne in particular sitting down on the cockpit's doorway. She didn't look up as the two approached.

Much like its parent unit, Section Thirteen was formed up into two squads, each lead by one of the Captains. Alyssa was head of Flame Squad, made up of herself, Second Lieutenant Lackland, Sergeant 782, and Corporal Spade. Meanwhile, Captain Jeanne was in charge of Water Squad, her subordinates including Lieutenant Jacobs, Librarian Trail, and Co-Librarian/Gardener (the closest things to actual ranks she had) Otavi. Flame Squad was designed for attack, while Water was meant for support and defense.

"You're late, Triad." Jeanne said bluntly; evidently being the same rank as her nullified pleasantries. "Again. I hope you have a good reason why, huh?"

Alyssa smiled. "Yup," the captain said, slapping her new acquaintance heartily on the back, "cause of this guy. The Inspector here's graciously offered to help us out. Ain't that right, Inspector?"

Feeling all their eyes shift onto him, Anton gulped slightly, but nodded all the same. "Y-yes, I can't just stand idly by in a situation like this. As a liaison from headquarters, it's my duty to assist you all." He hoped his voice sounded half as serious as the words they said.

After a long moment (at least to him), Dwight nodded. "Okay, sounds good. C'mon guys, Inspector, let's not keep the city waiting."

With that, the officers filed into the helicopter single-file, bantering all the while.

"I wonder if either of these will be new types?" Ace pondered. "Whoever's building them certainly has an active imagination."

"_Anything'd_ be better than that one we fought last week with the damn acid shooters. I'm never gonna outlive the shame…"

Arturia frowned at the memory. "Once again, it was not the War Armor's fault you did not decide to wear…unmentionables that day, Librarian."

Alyssa shrugged as she sat down. "Eh, I dunno, Daniel might have the right idea. Not having 'em means they can't get in a knot." She smiled pleasantly. "Right, Tin Can?"

The knight's face turned stony, her voice positively granite-like. "Did I _say _I was-"

Before she could say more, a clawed metal hand clapped gently across her mouth. GD offered Anton an apologetic shrug as he took his seat slowly.

"Heh heh," Alyssa snickered, "sometimes you're worth hanging around, Dr-"

Slap. _This _hand belonged to Otavi, a slight frown on her face directed at the captain. Somehow, it didn't look one bit weaker than GD's – not that Alyssa bothered to test this out. She and Arturia settled down, to the considerable relief of the other passengers.

Dwight chuckled at the display. "Sorry about that, Inspector; the helicopter can get pretty busy before a mission. Our way of getting out the stress, I think."

Daniel snorted. "Getting it out a bit _too _much, if you ask me. You could talk about the _weather _and those two would make it an argument. Thanks for that, by the way, Otavi." He didn't seem to notice the smile this received.

"…um, GD," Ace said cautiously, "I don't think Arturia wants to make a fuss, but her skin is turning a bit strange."

The Gadget Droid seemed to blink, then took his hand away and scooted quickly to the left. But not fast enough to avoid the reprimanding slap.

"_If _most _of you people are done acting like children," _Jeanne's voice carried in from the cockpit, _"then can we take off already? I can't help but think the city might want to _survive_, but that's just me."_

Without waiting for an answer, the noise of an engine starting up was heard, followed by several propellers beginning to spin. Up above, the roof of the hanger bay slid back with a great grinding sound, audible even above the others. Then the sensation of flight came, as the helicopter slowly lifted itself off the ground. It was really nothing new to any Bureau mage capable of flight (a group Anton was proud to be part of), but to him it weighed far more. It meant they would – _he'd _be in battle. He gulped again, trying to shove down the butterflies in his stomach.

He felt a sudden hand on his shoulder, and looked to see Alyssa flash him a smile and a thumbs-up. Anton settled down, nodding back.

The helicopter took off.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Skyscraper Penthouse – 1255 Hours**

"_Aaaaaah."_

Tilting back the glass in his hand, the man leaned back in his chair of finest leather (lined with the finest velvet, naturally) and savored the taste of wine worth far more than any one worker in his company.

…well, the _day _ones, anyway.

He swiveled in his chair as one of those in the other category entered, giving him a suitably gracious bow. "Boss, the Bureau's boys' chopper just took off. Seems like they're headed toward our, uh, investments, if y'know what I mean?"

"Their _wha_ – oh, I see. Very good. Are our…mmmm…presents prepared?"

The man nodded, the motion giving him no end of pleasure. He had always appreciated that – which, a part of him understood, was why the man showed it in his body language so plainly. Whatever else could be the reason for such sloppiness?

"Very good," he repeated, taking another sip, "is the video feed set up yet?"

"Sure is, boss." the worker replied. "One on each of the buildings, and three all around the construction site, just like you asked."

His employer clapped happily, beaming. "Splendid. Are Barnes and Katie in the building? I'd hate for them to miss this."

The worker nodded, crossing to the door. "I'll go get 'em right away, bo-"

Just before the portal, his forward movement stopped completely, and he spread eagled seemingly against thin air. His hair was standing straight up on end as he vibrated slightly.

"That won't be necessary, fortunately." said a smooth female voice from one side of the room. The lighting there flickered for a moment, revealing a short blonde-haired woman in a faded tan suit. It was bright enough, though, that you could have sworn someone would have seen her…if she were an ordinary person, of course.

"Ah, there you are." he replied pleasantly. "Good morning, Katie: did you sleep well?"

Katie bowed. "Why wouldn't it be with you here to wake up to, Mister Quattro?"

He smiled, and looked back to the man before waving a hand. "Well, isn't this nice? One less job for you to attend to. But you'd best be quick about it, hm?"

"Better get going now, hm?" the woman said with a wide smile.

The flunky nodded gratefully before retreating, the invisible zapper already gone.

Quattro propped up his head on one hand and frowned at the woman reproachfully. "Now that wasn't very nice, Katie; scaring the poor boy like that."

Shrugging, Katie walked over to the desk. As if in defiance of her childish name, her demeanor was calm and cool.

"Well, what about you, Mister Quattro?" she asked, crossing her legs. "Sending him off to find someone who's already here seems a bit useless, but that's just me."

As if on cue, the merest shadow on the far wall detached itself, in the form of a tall, broad-shouldered man wearing all black clothing, which somehow didn't look meant for formal situations. His hair of the same color and sunglasses seemed almost made for camouflage. Quattro and Katie didn't move an iota.

"Boss," he said to Quattro respectfully, pulling up a chair, "boss' squeeze," he added to Katie, somewhat less respectfully. To her credit, she didn't appear to notice.

Quattro leaned back in his chair, smiling like the Cheshire cat (or at least the Midchildan equivalent). "Well, now that we're all here, shall the proceedings begin?"

The ensuing silence seemed to speak for itself, so he leaned forward and reached underneath the desk. A small panel there, hidden perfectly save for someone who knew it was there, slid aside to reveal an equally discreet button. Once it was pressed, a tiny hum began to start in the officer, growing stronger until several windows opened in the air above the desk, displaying what was on the other end of several hidden cameras around Prism Street.

At the moment, this included a certain approaching helicopter.

Smiling, Quattro waved an airy hand at the image. "Well, here they again – our good friends from the other side of the fence, right on schedule. Well, for _them_, I should say."

"It's almost deplorable," noted Katie coolly, "those armors could have leveled entire neighborhoods by now. If we were interested in such destructive nonsense, of course."

Quattro smiled wryly. "Yes, we're certainly the right people to give advice on _that_, hm?" He looked over at the second man. "Do you have any thoughts on it, Barnes?"

The man sat stiff as a board, eyes unreadable behind his shades. "The only one of them I have an opinion on is Jacobs, boss," he said calmly, "and then only about how his neck would look with my hands around it."

"Aha," Quattro laughed, "well, we all have dreams, don't we? Has that concussion gotten better, by the way?"

"A bit." Barnes said with a shrug. "But enough about me, Boss. Let's pay attention to the battle – what do you think'll happen?

Quattro rubbed his faintly goateed chin. "Hmmmmmmm," he hummed to himself for a moment, "I'm really not sure." As I recall, young Miss Lackland dispatched the last one, with her usual 'beautiful' swordplay. The one before that was Mr. Spade's kill, utilizing his _electrifying_magic. And of course, we would be remiss in not mentioning the famous Miss Triad, destroying no less than three state-of-the-art War Armors, as well as assisting with the destruction of many others so far. I'd declare a standing ovation…" His face twisted into a brief snarl. "…if it weren't so _irritating_."

The Chesire Cat smile returned. "But, ah, this is no reason to get negative when things haven't even begun, hm?" He waved a hand at the windows. "So, let's pay close attention to what I'm certain will be a success _this_time."

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Airspace Over Outer City – 105 Hours**

Anton swallowed hard again. _"It won't be long now until we're in battle…and not just a training drill, either. A real live one, with people's lives on the line._My _life on the line."_

No-one else seemed to be thinking about this. Ace was sitting politely, hands on his lap. Arturia was fingering _Frangir_'s cross, looking at something distant. Daniel was tapping one foot on the metal floor, producing a slight, rhythmic clanging that seemed to be thoroughly ignored. Otavi was looking down, twiddling her fingers slightly. Dwight had one hand propping up his head, eyes closed. GD was…well, not appearing to do _anything_, but this seemed to be usual for him.

And Alyssa looked completely calm. She was leaned back, hands behind her head, stretching out as far as the confined space would allow. It was amazing to his eyes.

"Eh?" The captain blinked, looking to Anton. "Somethin' wrong, Inspector?"

He shook his head. "No, no, it's nothing much. I was just wondering why you're all so…calm. It's a little weird." 

"Eh," Alyssa shrugged, "I'm probably not the best person to ask about being scared. I've been in battle more times than I can count." She nodded at GD. "And Mr. Droid over there was made for battle, so no surprise if he doesn't care. But some of these guys have to keep calm in their own way – just because they don't show it doesn't mean people aren't scared, you know."

"Mmmm." Dwight said quietly from nearby.

Daniel snorted. "The sniper, not being scared? What a surprise. Me and Otavi are the ones who have to grin and bear it when you go crazy, Captain, and it's not exactly a cup of tea, lemme tell ya."

Alyssa leaned forward, eyebrow raised. "Scary _and _crazy am I, Human Avalanche? Funny how you wait until an Inspector's around before you say so."

Sensing a coming storm (spending even a little time around Riot Squad Thirteen made you savvy about this sort of thing, apparently), Anton waved a hand. "No, no, I'm not copying anything down from this. Just treat me as one of you."

"Whatever," said Daniel with a shrug, "just some advice from one mage to another, Inspector: if you're gonna be sharing the same airspace – no, the same _battlefield_ as her, better watch your back."

"Mmmm." murmured Dwight once more.

Sighing, Alyssa leaned back and glared at both of them. "Maybe you _should _get some of this down, Inspector; show 'em what jerks I have to work with."

"_Yeah, you're a regular fearless leader." _said Jeanne's voice from the front. _"Heads up, you lot: we've got company on the rooftops ahead."_

There was the tingle of magic in the air, before a window opened up in the middle of the hold. The officers all leaned forward intently, and after a moment so did Anton. What had caught the Captain's attention were the buildings directly in front of their current heading. Placed on top of each were two large, black metal boxes.

"More of those guys," Ace frowned, "they want to go another round?"

Alyssa shrugged. "If they want to charge onto the scrap heap, it's no skin off my back. Let's just deal with 'em quick and hurry to the main problem."

Again feeling an outsider, Anton cleared his throat. "Erm, what exactly are _they_? I thought we were just heading out to deal with War Armors." 

"Yes, Inspector," said Arturia politely, "but on this world, whenever War Armors show themselves, these are usually not far behind."

Otavi moved noticeably for the first time since she had sat down, looking across to the Gadget Droid. "GD?"

He nodded. **"Assessment: I estimate the units within will detect our presence in roughly three…two…one…now."**

On-screen the boxes snapped open, raining what looked like thick, equally black metal spikes across both rooftops. They landed in a loose formation, quivering inside the stonework. Then, as Anton's eyes widened, they began to unfurl; arms and legs folded out while they stood up, revealing the spike to be a body. The top spike split in half and separated, revealing a face, blank save for a visor-shaped red eye.

Snatching up both halves of the discarded armor, the robots joined them together top to bottom, forming what resembled a strange type of rifle. Then, like one entity, they all looked upward – right at the helicopter. One moment later a hail of energy bolts were filling the air between them, and closing in fast.

"Better hang on," Alyssa advised, holding onto her seat tightly, "these guys are actually pretty good shots."

Indeed, the helicopter had already begun to shake, even as it swerved back and forth. "What _are _they?" Anton asked over the noise.

Alyssa shrugged. "Dunno, but they show up every time a War Armor does. We think they're probably made by the same guys, but there's no way of knowing."

"One thing's for sure, they're not one of those Scaglietti knockoffs you see nowadays." put in Dwight. "They use some sort of magic substitute in those guns, and they don't need any AMF Barriers to be tough…uh, excusing you _again_, GD."

"**Reassuring: did you indicate me, Lieutenant Jacobs? I did not notice." **GD said replied graciously, and then cocked his head to the side. **"Addition: I believe Captain Triad dubbed them 'Nailheads'. This nickname has caught on slightly."**

Alyssa looked uncomfortable as Anton's gaze turned right on her. "W-what? That's what they look like to me!"

"_Well, whatever we call 'em, they're sure as hell in the way now." _said Jeanne from the pilot's seat once more.

Her opposite number nodded. "And no way are they just going to let us by unscratched." She looked across at two of her men. "Ace, GD, get out there."_  
_

Ace unbuckled himself and, an intent look growing over his face. "Yes sir, Captain!"

"**Affirmative: yes, Captain. Will this be a mid-air deployment?" **GD asked politely.

"Is there another way of doing it?" Alyssa asked. "Get your Jacket and Barrier up for the drop."

The other Riot Force members leaned back slightly. Ace raised his right hand. **"Rise up, Bolt!"**

Anton stared blankly. _"…what does that even mean?"_

"**Yes!" **barked the Device, before his young master was covered briefly in a flash of light. When it cleared, Ace was clad in his Barrier Jacket, a black bodysuit overlaid with golden armor over most of the chest, legs and arms. His Device had become a pair of large gauntlets of the same color fused to his hands. They gave off an electric spark every few moments.

GD's preparations were significantly less flashy: a tiny yet noticeable hum issued across the hold, and every mage shivered at the familiar sensation of an AMF Field, small as it was. His claws extended, beginning to glow with an eerie light. It might have been just Anton's imagination, but he thought the red optic grew several times more calculating.

A few moments later, Jeanne called back again. _"Okay, opening the hold doors now."_

With a rush of hydraulics the double doors slowly opened, releasing open air into the hold; no-one seemed to notice, so neither did Anton. Well, he attempted to, anyway.

Ace and GD unbuckled themselves and stood up. With a mighty run, they leaped out the open door and disappeared, Ace going first and coating himself in some added protection magic. GD followed shortly after, leaping out with considerably more grace than the young man.

"_See ya, fellas. Try not to have _too _much fun out there, huh?"_

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Rooftops Near Middle of City – 110 Hours**

The 'Boltheads', as they were so courteously called, looked up as one body as Ace and GD landed nearby. A moment passed, before the Gadget Droid detached himself smoothly from the former's shoulders and dropped noiselessly to the ground.

"**Gratitude: thank you, Corporal."**

"Any time, Sir." said Ace politely.

They both looked to the other robots, currently in the process of adjusting their positions and aim so that no shot fired would be a wasted one. Ace looked to the other rooftop – the ones there were already back to firing at the helicopter. They had a much better sense of tactics than Gadget Droids, too, although this wasn't saying very much.

"I'm afraid that they're not your opponents today." Ace declared, building up magic within his right hand. **"Spark Knuckle!"**

A burst of electricity flared in the respective gauntlet, and he let loose with a punch, the elemental force flying out in bullet form. It slammed into one robot's chest, knocking it backward as it twitched and spasmed. Quickly, the other members of the squad trained their rifles on Ace. The one who'd been hit got back to its feet a moment later, the large hole in its chest not appearing to debilitate it much.

The young man nodded in satisfaction, smiling. "I guess that got your attention, huh?"

"**Assessment: extensively, I would say, Corporal." **GD said, stepping up and preparing his claws.

"Then let's give whoever's watching something entertaining to see, shall we Sergeant?"

GD bent low, like an Olympic runner.** "Agreement: indeed, Corporal."**

One moment later the sound of magic and steel clashing echoed across the building-tops.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Helicopter – 112 Hours**

"They'll be alright, won't they?" asked Anton, sounding a little worried.

"Rest assured, Inspector," Arturia said, "while they may look unreliable, Ace and 782 are our finest close-ranged combatants, after myself."

Daniel and Alyssa rolled their eyes covertly. "'sides," the latter added, "those two are probably the least built for fighting War Armors out of all of us, so if anyone gets put to work elsewhere, it's usually them. GD's weapons aren't tough enough to crack through their armor, _and_ he's pretty fragile, and Ace isn't nearly fast enough to avoid all that fire."

"If you want people who are really good on the ground, that'd be me and Otavi's department," Daniel bragged, "we're the squad's support agents."

"Yup; they're pretty useful too, for throwing around rocks and weeds." Alyssa said. That was her typical idea of a compliment, Anton had noticed. Or at least, he hoped so.

"Mmmmmm." said Dwight a third time.

Daniel looked at both of them. "Gee, _thanks_; appreciate the praise, really. Right, Ota…Otavi?"

The girl was looking away, toward the front of the helicopter. She was silent and still, but her eyes slowly widened. With a quick snapping moment, she jumped to her feet, pointing straight ahead.

"LEFT! _LEFT_!"

The urgent words echoed through telepathy as well. Anton stared, agape, but Alyssa looked up to the cockpit. "You hear that, Jeanne?"

"_Loud and clear, Triad – and don't call me Jeanne."_

Without a lurch, the helicopter swung sharply to the left, so quickly that the Riot Force members were nearly shaken out of their harnesses. Not a second too soon, as one moment late a massive shockwave ripped right through the vehicle, as something _big_passed by outside. Everyone held on hard, whether through magic or physical strength.

Anton's head smacked back against the wall, and he saw stars. "What…what was _that_?" he asked dazedly, aware that was almost becoming a catchphrase of his lately.

Whatever it had been, it was enough to rouse Dwight from his meditative state. "You're asking the wrong guys, Inspector – War Armors always have at least one high grade weapon like that, but we're still blocks away from Prism Street. None of the ones we've fought have been nearly that precise, even up close.

"_It was some kind of energy beam,"_Jeanne said, _"from the size and speed of it I'd say it was fired from a rail-gun, if I had to guess. Otavi probably just saved all our asses." _

"Indeed." murmured Arturia distrustfully.

"_Hang on, I'm running an Area Search."_

A tense moment passed, during which the forefront thought in all of their minds was: 'just how fast does that weapon fire'?

Finally, with a snap of magic, another two windows opened in the center of the hold: displayed on them were the War Armors, standing amidst a slightly ruined city street. Even if their goal wasn't destruction, they tended to blunder into causing it anyway (TSAB forces didn't exactly throw that noun around lightly); whatever twisted mind had created them hadn't been interested in subtlety or grace, but had quite liked the concept of a steamroller.

War Armors had started popping up roughly two or three months after the Scaglietti Incident had been fully resolved, the 'good doctor's incarceration doing precisely nothing to deter other heavy thinkers in the field. Unlike the Gadget Drones, at least, their purpose was direct, and their weaponry didn't rely on gimmicks. They'd been a nasty surprise at first for several mage squads out on missions, who had been all but decimated before managing to bring it down. Sometimes not even that lucky.

The comparison to a construction vehicle was quite apt. Most War Armors seemed to be overhauled and mish-mashed versions of bulldozers, cranes, cement mixers; even more benign equipment like forklifts and tractors sometimes made their way onto them. These were no different. The first was painted a dull charcoal-red, its bulky body lifted off the ground by a quartet of thick hydraulic legs, each ending in a wide circle. Equipped on them were clamps, obviously designed to hold it in place through the force of any impacts. On its back was a dump truck bed equipped with guns on either side, and currently tilted to give the nasty-looking satellite dish inside the perfect angle. Energy was already beginning to build up again around the tip.

The second was nearby in the middle of a construction site (familiar territory, anyway), the various other equipment scattered away by its bulk. The building itself at least was unscathed – thank goodness for small favors. It was equipped with a mish-mash of shovels, drills, and grinders that somehow managed to be efficiently digging up the bare ground. Foremost was a large bore, similar to those used in drilling for oil. A few turrets were set up on this one here and there, but overall it didn't seem designed for combat.

Alyssa let out a whistle, her eyes fixed on the second armor. "Well, well, looks we got a live one here. And so close in the neighbourhood, too."

Something in her tone sounded a little strange to Anton, but everyone else seemed familiar with the words. Before he could ask, though, Jeanne cut in again.

"_Okay, new plan, boys and girls: I'm gonna set up a barrier around us to ward that fire. It won't be perfect, and I'll try to avoid what I can, but don't expect not to get shaken up a bit."_

Once more, magic exuded from the cockpit, spreading to cover the entire helicopter. Craning his neck to peer out the window, Anton saw they were covered by a bubble of water so thick it blurred everything beyond it. If anything could protect them from another of those shots, it was this; the strength of Captain Stromhold's defenses was as renowned as she herself, as many a disaster survivor had discovered in just the nick of time.

Another tense few minutes passed while the energy slowly, _slowly _built up around the satellite, although probably quite a bit faster outside of the squad members' eyes. Anton gulped slowly. Aside from that small gesture, a hush had fallen across the helicopter, each member of the Riot Force staring at the screen calmly. Was this what it meant to be a combat mage?

At last, the build-up appeared to reach its zenith, the glow beginning to crackle and spurt along the shaft's length. The War Armor's clamps dug in deeper.

With a thunderous bang (or at least it probably _would_ have been, if the bubble didn't shield sound too), the laser surged forth from the satellite, pushing the armor back a foot or two as it closed the distance unsettlingly fast.

"_Like I said," _Jeanne called from the front, _"better hang on. I'm turning now!"_

True to her words, the carrier swerved sharply to the left just before the beam reached them. Even so, though, it still hit a glancing blow, steam rising from the gathered water instantly. Anton tilted his head away from the window, before the brilliant light reflected off his glasses and blinded him.

Sure enough, the barrier held…mostly. The 'mostly' turned out to be pretty important in this case, as before the energy dissipated, it managed to pierce through and clip the copter slightly – sending it into a tailspin.

Alyssa let another long whistle. "_Man_, that's sure impressive Jeanne: breaking through your magic like that."

Dwight shrugged. "Probably just a fluke, if you ask me. It happens." He'd taken the words right out of Anton's mouth.

"_Shut it, both of you!" _The helicopter began to twist and turn, trying to regain its previous course. This seemed to be a rather futile goal however, as the outside surroundings spun wildly. _"Dammit. I'm gonna try for a safe landing, so anyone with wings, get your butts out there. Everyone else, you'd better hang on."_

Alyssa and Arturia caught each-other's eyes and nodded, albeit reluctantly in the knight's case. Unbuckling from the harnesses, they brandished their devices aloft.

"Let's Set Up, Bowie!"

"Bestow upon me my armor, Frangir!"

"_A-okay, boss!" _

_"Sic." _

Twin flashes of light covered the two women, and when they cleared both officers were clad in their Barrier Jackets. Alyssa's was a long coat the same color as her uniform, open at the front near the thighs to expose quite a bit of leg. Displayed prominently over the left side was the same symbol as on her earrings. Bowie had folded out to become a double-bladed spear, parts of it resembling a furnace.

Arturia's, meanwhile, was about as old-school as you could possibly get: an entire set of silver plate armor covered her almost completely from the neck down.. Presumably there was some cloth underneath, but seeing it would require more examination than she'd likely appreciate. Frangir, meanwhile, had transformed into a claymore sword, roughly half the length of the young knight holding it. In comparison to Alyssa's device, he looked much less flashy – House Verum's weapons of choice were created by people who knew exactly what they were meant for.

A moment passed before Anton realized they were looking right at him expectantly. "Oh – oh, right! Sorry."

Grasping his own device, he flipped her open awkwardly before clearing his throat. "Um, prepare my Barrier Jacket please, Akashic."

"…what, that's _all_?" Alyssa blurted out, before Arturia elbowed her in the ribs.

A momentary flash covered Anton too, before he emerged to reveal his own jacket. It was…well, practical: a simple green outfit, barely flashier than his regular uniform. Akashic's appearance remained the same, but the pages her owner had flipped to now glowed with arcane light. Reaching down, Anton grasped something near the spine – a short tug retrieved what looked like a small, metal baton.

Alyssa whistled. "Nice, Inspector: it suits you."

"W-well," Anton began lamely, "it helps me focus my spells, and it's pretty easy to hold…"

For a moment the Captain's face contorted in pure delight (although he didn't have the foggiest idea why), before Jeanne's voice cut in.

"_Um, hello? Helicopter, damaged, CRASHING? Get the hell out there, now!"_

"Sure, sure," Alyssa said, rolling her eyes, "we're going already."

Reaching over, she slid open the metal doors, letting wind slip in once more. In one magical movement, all three activated their respective flight spells and leapt off, into battle.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Skies Above Prism Street – 115 Hours**

This was Anton's first time fighting a War Armor (even encountering one outside of a book), and he was forced to admit immediately that, yes, they certainly were efficient creations. Back at the Academy, he remembered there had been several drills where a team of a half-dozen artillery mages used the class for target practice – with limiters, of course, after some complaints by parents last year when their children came home slightly charred – with the goal being to simply survive: a useful lesson for any aspiring combat mage.

The barrage this machine was putting up simulated the experience nearly to a T.

Almost instantaneously after he'd slipped through the bubble shield, Anton felt the wind buoying him up build and burst, sending him flying to the side just before a hail of bullets violated the airspace he had just been occupying.

"T-thanks, Akashic." he breathed. It wasn't needless praise: his Barrier Jacket was built for speed rather than defense, and he wouldn't have put that much faith in his reflexive shields.

"_Pay attention, young master." _she replied, as usual. Not that he minded much, of course, since as usual, it was good advice. There was no point to scolding someone unless they _learned _something at the same time, after all.

Stabilizing his flight spell as much as he could, Anton followed after Alyssa and Arturia, the former weaving through the fire with easy grace, and the latter – his breath caught in his throat momentarily as a missile slammed right into her…only for the young knight to emerge from the smoke cloud without slowing down, her shields not wavering in the slightest.

It would go _very_ differently in his case. Gulping, he tried to keep up as best he could, following Alyssa's path inelegantly. Arturia seemed to be about as good at dodging as he was about getting hit – or she simply didn't care.

As he did so, he took in the situation. The first War Armor was below them diagonally, although it was a little difficult to tell with all that ammunition in the way. It was splitting its fire into thirds to keep the mages at bay, while thankfully ignoring the helicopter, which had landed on a rooftop nearby. The second seemed completely oblivious to everything else, continuing to dig aimlessly. What on earth could be underneath the site?

Glancing behind her, Alyssa caught his eyes and grinned. "Let's go, Bowie!" Brandishing the spear, she thrust it down toward the War Armor. **"Crimson Arrow!" **the Captain yelled.

"_Fire!" _cried her Device gleefully. A quartet of fiery, arrow-headed projectiles burst into life around the woman, each firing itself at an outer turret on the machine.

A few feet before they hit home, however, a glowing barrier came into existence, pushing against the magic like a bug-zapper against flies. Ultimately the arrows broke through, but collided against the turrets without much impact.

Alyssa clicked her tongue. _"An AMF Barrier: what a surprise." _she broadcasted to Anton (and presumably Arturia)'s mind. _"Tin Can, this is your department. I'll hang back and get something ready in the meantime."_

"_Yes, Captain," _replied Arturia, evidently content to bend to superior rank in this sort of situation, _"but what will the Inspector be doing?"_

Anton watched as she blinked, then pulled back until they were side by side. "Oh yeah, forgot to mention: what _can _you do, Inspector?"

"Um," he thought for a moment, "well, I use wind magic primarily, er, _exclusively_, and I'm pretty good at projectile magic and binds…"

He trailed off as Alyssa waved her hand in a 'go ahead' gesture. "Okay, then. Go ahead and give our knight in sour armor some cover then, will ya?"

A moment passed before he nodded firmly. "O-of course!" Flying out ahead of Alyssa, he waved his baton with a flourish, or at least what he thought was one. **"Breeze Cutter!"**

The air around him swirled up into the shape of a spinning discus of wind, balanced easily on the baton's end. With a wave of the stick, it flew off, curving neatly toward the War Armor. When it reached the AMF Barrier, it surged, struggled…and bounced off like a bug on a windshield, breaking a window nearby.

"…" Anton stared for a moment.

Alyssa coughed gently. "Uh, not a bad try, Inspector, but the point is sort of to make it go _through-_"

"Yes, yes, I know. Thank you." said the young man, massaging his nose as they both dodged an anti-air guns' fire.

She smiled. "No worries, though: you distracted it good enough."

Looking down at the War Armor, Anton saw Arturia flying toward it, right in one of its few blindspots.

Gripping her blade tightly, the Verum Knight twisted her weapon's pommel, causing the entire hilt to ratchet backward and expel a spent cartridge. The claymore's blade began to glow with a radiant, white light.

"_Laedo!" _uttered Frangir.

"**Lucidus Gladi-**

Before the final consonant could leave her mouth, Arturia whirled around in midair, slashing apart a car-sized boulder seconds before it could hit her. The second War Armor had sprouted a large cannon extending from its backside, even as it continued to drill obliviously. Arturia drew back a bit, then moved sharply aside as a missile streaked past her. The cannon tracked her movements shockingly fast for such a crude weapon and fired again, expelling a smaller yet sharpened boulder toward her. At the same time, the sound of another missile shrieking toward her came from behind.

Gritting her teeth, Arturia bolstered her shields to weather impacts from both sides – which turned out not to be necessary. A rush of wind also came from over her shoulder, and the missile detonated prematurely, washing her with heat but not much else. Letting the rock collide against her barrier, she smashed it brutally away with Frangir before turning to see Alyssa twirl her spear, one end glowing

"You owe me one, Tin Can." she said cheerfully. "How many is that now? Five?"

"Zero." Arturia replied coldly. "What do you suggest we do now, Captain?"

Alyssa grinned. "Two of us, two of them: seems pretty fair to me."

"Perhaps," the knight murmured, "but that weapon worries me." She nodded at the satellite, which was already beginning to glow ominously once more. "Can you destroy it before it fires again?"

Captain Triad's grin grew, if that were possible. "No worries."

The point of Bowie's shaft hadn't cooled down since intercepting the attack. Now Alyssa flew forward, twisting and weaving among the enemy fire before driving him forward, the blade's temperature growing two-fold as she did. **"Heat Lancer!"**

The spear sent out a wave of flame from its impact, spreading across the AMF Barrier that shimmered into view beneath it. This destroyed or deflected the salvo the armor had fired when she drew near, but it was quick to fire again. By that point, however, she had drawn back, avoiding the attacks as her movements blurred with further heat.

**"Lancer Mirage!"**

In a dazzling array lightning-quick thrusts, the spear clashed against the AMF Barrier - try as the machine might, it simply couldn't manage to ward them off. Before long a few holes had been made in the barrier, and she began to push forward...

A pair of holes opened in the War Armor's frame, from which extended two large, lengthy coils, similar to the ones on a Type I Gadget Droid. Quick ones, too, snaking up toward the Captain quickly. Flipping to one side, she twisted her spear across in a wide, encompassing sweep, but the coils slithered aside and curled around the shaft of the weapon, outside the range of her shields.

Alyssa grinned, showing off her front teeth. "It might have worked on someone else; sorry." She gripped Bowie's shaft tighter. **"Flame Counter!"**

The heat on the spear's blade grew further, evolving from a formless sensation to pure, raging fire, burning away the tentacles before the electricity within them (also cribbed from the desk of Scaglietti – the man could probably sue if he weren't in jail) could reach her.

Useless though the attack might have been, its distraction allowed the machine to redouble its shields, as well as lay down another barrage of covering fire. She was forced to retreat, sending a few more arrow flames to prevent it from pressing the initiative.

Arturia hadn't fared much better with her opponent. Although they were not expressly built for combat, a scooper as big as you are at the very least doesn't have to _intend _to hurt when it swings at you. And they did so quickly, with flailing, graceless attacks that should not have been a match for any trained Verum Knight's swordplay…making it all the more irritating that they did, with sheer weight and numbers.

Angling her sword into a defensive position, the girl held her ground against a drill that shot at her from the left, the spinning edge clashing against Frangir's stable one. Then she frowned, taking one hand off the claymore to project a shield against an errantly swinging shovel. And, sure enough, another came down toward her moments later.

"_Eruptus." _spoke Frangir calmly, and the shield burst, obscuring the mechanisms in light while Arturia was carried backward. With their target out of harm's way, the digging implements had nothing left to hit but thin air…and, naturally, themselves. They smashed together in a mighty crash, mechanical whines quickly echoing down the street as they tried to untangle themselves.

The Second Lieutenant nodded. "Thank, you Frangir." Gripping her sword's pommel, she twisted it again, this time in the other direction. "**Arbalest Form**, please."

"_Sic." _the Device agreed once more – not that Arturia had expected anything else. The claymore's tip split apart smoothly at the middle, while the hilt moved downward slightly to become handles. Hidden underneath the blade was a wide lens, already beginning to glow with her light magic. The energy spread up to the blade, leaping between both halves like an isolated electrical current. Compared to Alyssa's shooting magic her own was quite slow, but there was no need to rush at this range: the War Armor was riveted to the spot by its bore, still drilling into now-bare rock.

The magical power reached a peak, barely contained by the Device regulating it.

"_**Laus…" **_began Frangir.

"**CALAMUS!" **Arturia allowed her voice a moment of brief fury as the bolt of light roared out of the split blade. Its preparation may have been lengthy, but its speed more than made up for that (although naturally, being at near point-blank range also helped), reaching the machine within a moment and exploding into a mighty flare.

Arturia clicked her tongue as it faded, revealing the digging tools were still mostly intact, or at least enough to serve their new bludgeoning purpose. She watched the bore spin as she drew back to dodge a shot from its rock cannon. The Lieutenant and Captain nearly backed into each-other as a result.

"_This one's AMF Barrier appears to be stronger than its bodyguard's." _the former reported. _"At least two times the output, I think."_

Alyssa nodded. _"Whatever's down in that hole must be pretty damn important," _she looked back at the first armor, _"but we sure can't ignore ethat thing, either."_

She paused for the briefest of moments. _"Yo, Jeanne: not that we _really _need it, but how's about that time barrier?"_

"_Oh, so sorry to keep you delicate flowers waiting," _the rescue worker's voice dripped with sarcasm, _"I was just a bit busy making sure we didn't crash, and setting our formation up while you two were keeping them occupied – thanks, by the way – that's all. But yeah, I _did _just get one of those ready. Here you go."_

The skies above them darkened as the time barrier went to work, a very common yet powerful (and to many, crucial) spell. Within the few moments it took for the dome to cover the neighbourhood anything non-sentient, and if otherwise, non-magical was analyzed, copied, and very, _very _gently, moved into a separate pocket dimension. Anything in the former category that was destroyed could simply be replaced, and the latter removed entirely. However, nearly anyone with an awakened Linker Core wouldn't be affected by these spells unless they took them specifically into account – but they would almost certainly have had the sense to vacate the area by now. _Almost_. It was their job to keep that variable from coming into play.

"Alright," Alyssa spoke aloud, brandishing her spear, "now that that's set up, I can _really_-"

She stopped. The bullet barrage had halted abruptly as the War Armor seemed to shift its massive bulk to regard the barrier encircling it.

Then, a small portion of its armor flipped up, unveiling a small missile launcher with exactly one barrel. The missile it fired off was equally tiny, racing high up into the sky before either woman could attempt to intercept it. Once it seemed to reach appropriate height, it exploded – and the sky flickered a few times before returning to normal.

"Uh…" Alyssa's eyes shrunk a bit as she lowered Bowie slowly, "uh-oh?"

"I would not say it along those lines, but yes, indeed." Arturia whispered.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Skies Above Prism Street – 123 Hours**

Roughly on the other side of the War Armor, forgotten by the two women mages, Anton was reacting to the new weapon in a slightly less understated way.

"Those things have a weapon like that! How…how..there are no records of them having anything like that!"

Most of the War Armor's guns weren't firing on him after the first salvo, attacking the two greater threats toward it. Anton had kept moving, though, occasionally firing off a projectile spell to confirm that, yes, he was completely useless in this situation. What a wonderful thing to know for sure.

He gulped miserably as the massive laser on the thing's front swivelled around, aiming west toward the skyscraper front. The buildings had to have been evacuated by now, but-

"_Uh, Jeanne, I'm a little spotty with my geography today: what's it aiming for?"_Alyssa broadcasted. _"If it's you, I'd probably move."_

"_Oh, funny, Triad. From the way that thing's pointed, I think it'll hit, oh, about the center of the residential district. You think_they_should move?"_

The sound of Alyssa cursing was heard clearly by every member of the team. _"Damn, I was afraid of that. Okay then, new plan: blow it up before it can fire?"_

Jeanne snorted. _"You're a regular tactical genius, Triad. But yeah, seems like that's the only plan it wants us to have. Shame the Sergeant'd be useless here, he could tell us-"_

Speak of the devil. "_**Assessment: I estimate that a weapon of that type has roughly a five minute charging time, everyone. Taking that and the time since the last discharging into account, I would say you have roughly two minutes left, owing for some margin of error."**_

"…" You wouldn't think someone's silence could be heard telepathically, but Captain Triad pulled it off then. _"You've been crunching those numbers since I sent you two out there, haven't you?"_

"_**Casual: multi-tasking against these opponents is not very difficult. I also served for a time under someone who used a very similar weapon, albeit of course on a much smaller scale."**_

"_Keeps slipping our minds, I guess." _she sighed. _"Thanks for the heads-up, but get back to the fight before-"_

The sound of a thunderclap carried across the clear skies as lightning carried up from the distant rooftops.

"_Done."_declared Ace calmly, even coldly.

"_Oh, okay then,"_said Alyssa cheerfully, _"now let's junk this thing, shall we, Tin Can? You two can stay there; no way either of you can get over here in time."_

"_Yes." _Arturia agreed. It wasn't 'roger', but probably the closest compromise she'd make toward it.

"_Roger."_

"_**Acknowledgement: roger."**_

"_Alright, then," _Jeanne chimed in, _"Lieutenant Jacobs, Librarian Trail, Co-librarian Otavi, get the strongest, quickest spells you have ready and wait for my signal. The same goes for you fliers, too, if that's not a problem."_

Somewhat wisely, Alyssa kept her mouth shut.

"_At least the other one stopped attacking." _put in Dwight. _"Guess it wants to play 'fair'._

After that observation, silence reigned again, the only noise the whine of the first armor's laser charging and the second digging obliviously with no-one violating its space. Anton licked his dry lips, wondering where the members of Water Squad were and how they would attack. He had the files he'd pulled up on them, but that didn't seem to matter much in an actual battle; certainly not for someone like Captain Triad, anyway.

Case in point…

"_ATTACK!" _Alyssa yelled suddenly, brandishing her appear and flying forward. After a momentary pause (presumably to sigh heavily), Arturia followed close behind.

"_Dammit, Triad…" _Jeanne muttered resignedly. _"You know the drill, people."_

The Inspector felt the tingle of several sources of magic grow around and over the street. Nearly every member of a Riot Force attacking a single opponent…it was the stuff a poet could write magnificent passages about, if one were available and willing.

Good thing, eh?

Alyssa flew low near the War Armor's body; using the same grace as since the battle began, she almost seemed to weave in-between the bullets. Grinning excitedly, she raised Bowie with a wide twirl.

"**Heat Slicer!" **Two curved blades of flame grew from the spear's points, forming a naginata shape. Swinging it into a rapid turn, Alyssa slashed away at the machine's AMF Barrier with quick slashes. The barrier's output seemed to increase around its protectorate's primary weapon, however, not to mention shifting the general focus toward that point. The red-head frowned as the rapid attack ultimately proved ineffective.

Anton gave a start when the Captain pulled up from her dive right next to him.

"Yo, Inspector," she said cheerfully. "haven't seen you since we started. You doing okay?"

"Uh," he stammered, adjusting his glasses, "pretty well, I think."

She smiled. "At all like you thought it would be?"

He thought for a moment. "Oh, it's a _bit_ different from what I expected."

"_But then, I expected it to matter whether I was here or not."_

Alyssa didn't appear to notice his discomfort, letting out a sigh. The air before the edge of Bowie's point sprouted a scarlet flame. "Man, sorry you had to see that display. I'm more about speed than brute force, so you'll have to wait a bit before you can witness some real fireworks." She smiled. "Speaking of brute force…"

Taking a higher route than her superior had, Arturia looked down at her Device. "Frangir, we must execute a pin-point attack." she murmured.

"_Sic."_

This time, two cartridges were expelled from the hilt of the holy sword; the gathering light began to leap off the blade in slight pulses. Flying higher and raising her weapon, Arturia roared out.

"**Sanctus Pluvia!"**

From the tip of the weapon leaped five arrows of light, each identical in shape and size. In similar unison, they hit the War Armor's barrier at once and stuck there. They didn't appear offensive in nature, but were too dense for the AM Field to even begin dispelling them. Not that Arturia was willing to give it the chance. The arrows had formed an odd pattern when they collided, and the knight now lunged downward, plunging Frangir into the center.

"**Lucidus ASTRUM!"**

Strands of light exuded from the blade as it pierced the barrier, touching the four arrows and forming the shape of a star. The arrows forming the points began to glow – but only for a moment.

Flying through the synchronized explosion, Arturia pulled her claymore back. "You're mine!"

In fact the main gun was _not_to be hers, as with an ominous crackling noise, a _second_barrier leapt up around the laser. The dame knight grit her teeth, pressing down with her sword, but was ultimately thrown away by the force of it shoving right back. As she regained balance, her shields were hit by another round of fire, this time cracking them.

Through the resuming bullet hell, she watched its crackling green aura deflect a large triangular bullet shot from a nearby rooftop. Before Arturia could move, the top of the building was showered with bullets.

"_Lieutenant!"_

"_I'm fine," _he said calmly as a second bullet slammed into the shield from the opposite direction and with much more force, _"had a doppelganger set up there. Not like it did any good, though." _

Indeed, the new shield showed no signs of cracking, and by now a shimmering in the air signaled that the AMF Barrier had reestablished itself. The War Armor paused a bit, reloading and recalibrating its guns to get a better angle on the aerial enemies. Then, all of a sudden, its legs jacked downward with a hydraulic pump, shooting back upward a moment later to send it airborne – dodging a jagged stalagmite that shot up from out of the pavement its body had been over a moment ago. From the same hole slithered a plethora of vines, wrapping around the War Armor's legs. The machine's armor crackled with a brief flare of electricity, and they fell to the ground, dead. Everyone nearby heard the slight psychic whimper from Otavi at the sight.

The pillar of rock exploded as surging water gushed forth from the same hole, slamming into the mechanical monster with force equalling Alyssa and Arturia's attacks – perhaps even moreso. The AMF Barrier crumbled after a moment, but the laser's shield proved a tough nut to crack again, dispelling the water after a moment's resistance. In response, the War Armor raised one foot and stamped the ground hard. Already softened by its weight, the pavement there collapsed, spreading to several areas besides.

Daniel, who had been largely silent since the battle began, gave a quite uncharacteristic yelp. _"D-dammit, it nearly got me with that cave-in! How'd it know I was down here?"_

Someone had an answer._ "If I had to guess, I'd say the same way it knew how to avoid that spell of yours," _murmured Dwight slowly, _"and a way to deal with Otavi's plants. Remember, Jeanne? The three of you used that same combination a while ago. Only difference is, it worked then." _He fired off another shot. _"It's standing up to my shots a lot better than the last one, too."_

"_I might recall." _the rescue worker said dryly. _"'Lookie what we can do now!', huh?" _

"_Makes sense to me." _put in Ace. _"Anyone will get used to attacks you use constantly. It's probably not much different."_

His partner made a contemplative noise. _**"Analyze: the droids did not appear any stronger than usual. It would appear likely that the War Armors have been gathering data from the mages who usually combat them."**_

Jeanne cursed. _"So if I have that right, that's me, Triad and the Second Lieutenant tied for number one, you at number two, and the Librarians a distant third, huh?"_

"_Hey, it's not _my_ fault if I'm good_ _at junking these things!"_

"_**Statement: that is correct, Captain. This would therefore leave Corporal Spade and my own attacks relatively unaffected, but I am afraid we are too far away to be of any assistance. Incidentally, there is roughly one minute left before that laser fires."**_

"_That's _NOT _incidental!" _Anton heard himself blurt.

"_**Admonishment: there is no need to shout, Inspector."**_ GD said calmly.

The young man's eyebrow twitched. _"O-of course there is!"_ He waved his baton at the War Armor, still charging its weapon methodically. _"If that thing fires, there's no telling how many people will be hurt! We have to do something, and quick!"_

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Skyscraper Penthouse – 130 Hours**

Quattro tapped his index finger on the desk a few times. He checked his watch. Then, he sighed. "Well, I suppose it had to happen someday – the law of averages is a harsh mistress. Still, I can't help but feel a bit disappointed. Not nearly as sorry as whoever is in that block will be, though, I'm sure." A smile creased his features. "Or the insurance company once I come calling tomorrow."

"Your genius pays for itself, Mister Quattro." Katie put in, smiling.

"Merely a matter of course, my dear," the young man said, giving in return, "the real masterpiece to be thanked here is our gracious benefactors. I dare say they've outdone themselves with this model. Note to self, Barnes, have a gift basket made up."

The large man nodded wordlessly, his eyes not leaving the screen. "Boss?" He said finally. "We know everybody who's in Section Thirteen, right?"

"Hm?" One of Quattro's eyebrows twitched a bit. "We do indeed, naturally. Why do you ask?"

"Well," Barnes said, pointing at one of the screens, "who the hell is that, then?"

His boss leaned forward and squinted. Barnes had indicated Anton.

Katie folded her legs. "Well well," she murmured, "I suppose our little games have finally deserved reinforcements. Oh well – seeing new blood is always amusing. Not to mention teaching them failure. Whoever he is, he's welcome to try."

Quattro's smile faded as he watched. "He's certainly trying now."

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Skies Above Prism Street – 130 Hours**

A moment passed, where the young inspector found time to be surprised at himself for his outburst. Then Alyssa took one hand off her weapon to rub her chin in a musing fashion. _"Hey, hey, GD? Would that thing have any data on the Inspector, y'think?"_

"_**Contemplation: …now that you have mentioned it, Captain, I do not believe so. The Inspector only arrived here today, after all, and I doubt it would be able to adapt to his magic so quickly."**_

Anton gulped inwardly slightly as Alyssa turned to him expectantly. "W-well, I 'm not sure if I have quite-"

He stopped as the sound of paper rustling reached his ears. Looking down, he saw Akashic had flipped to another page – a paragraph of which was now glowing an emerald green. It took him a moment to remember what spell it was, but shook his head once he did.

_"It could work in theory, Akashic, but I've never even tried casting that spell before. I don't know why you bothered keeping it there_."He hadn't even looked at the page since that meeting with his counsellor.

_"My pages contain no useless knowledge, young master."_

Her master's eyes widened. _"Akashic…"_

Raising his head, he looked over the battlefield, rising absent-mindedly as he began to take it all in. The machine wasn't firing much at him anymore. Several aspects of the street and the enemy within it were noted, analyzed, and taken into account for what he was about to do. He felt far calmer than he had throughout the battle, now that he wasn't letting himself distract him.

"_Captain, please cover me."_

"'_kay." _Alyssa said without pause as he dove toward the machine. Thrusting out her free hand, she summoned another quartet of fire arrows, the magic energy drawing the armor's attention (and bullets) toward her. Once they were close enough, she clenched the hand while spinning aside from a missile. **"Ember Rain!"**

The fiery projectiles burst all at once, splitting into a cloud of smaller fireballs that showered down upon the War Armor. It was a spell designed for surprising enemies one-on-one or separating a large group of them, but at the moment it served its purpose by attracting the robot's attention. As the embers pattered uselessly against its barrier, it launched forth a pair of rockets. They never reached their target; one was sniped down from below by an expertly aimed shot, whilst the other was suddenly intercepted by Arturia's blade.

"Are you sure the Inspector can handle this, Captain?"

Alyssa just smiled. "No worries: if he wants to try, of course he can do it."

"_If the boss says he can do it, he can do it!" _Bowie parroted cheerfully.

His master glared down at her. "Don't steal my lines, Bowie!"

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Skies Above Prism Street – 130 Hours**

Anton wasn't an _especially _fast flier, at least in comparison to mages nearly capable of breaking the sound barrier all on their own, but like all his other skills, he was very neat at it. Barrel Rolls, somersaults, cut-back turns, and countless other tricks designed to evade the numerous people who would find perforating him a simple task.

He needed them now. Even if the Section Officers were diverting its attention partially, there was no way for him to conceal his presence from the War Armor completely. It had no idea what he was about to do, but that didn't stop it firing at him on general principle. Of course, when it came right down to that, he wasn't one hundred percent sure _he _knew what he was doing either.

As he passed by the War Armor's right flank, dodging bullets all the while, Anton flung out the baton and concentrated. An emerald-green rune faded into view in the air there, pointed at the machine. It appeared to regard it for a moment, but when nothing happened, it turned its attention back to the mage – a mistake.

Looping around to the back of the machine, Anton tried to avoid the running countdown Akashic was broadcasting to him (purely for motivation purposes, of course) and summoned another shining sigil into existence. It too seemed to serve no purpose, but a magically-trained eye would see a thin band of light connecting it to the other.

Flying around the other side of it, Anton summoned another rune when a sound pulled him out of his concentration: almost like a very loud fly. _"What's tha-"_

"_Young master, from behind!"_

Anton looked behind him (always an important talent to learn in conjunction with flying) and his eyes widened: sailing through the air toward him was a high speed missile, curving through the air in a way that suggested 'homing' in a very large way. Another shot from Dwight came up, but the cylinder swerved sharply to one side, evading as it picked up speed.

The Inspector gulped hard, trying to do the same, but pure straight-aways weren't his territory. He swung Akashic's baton over his shoulder and sent out a burst of wind, but if anything that seemed _easier_ for it to dodge. Slowly but surely, it gained on him.

But there was only one rune left to place before his spell was complete. _"This – this is a battle," _he thought to himself, trying to summon whatever resolve might lie within him, _"there's no room for certainties, or even safety." _He nodded to himself. This was how things were for combat mages everyday, and knowing that for certain put him at ease, strange as it sounded. If anything, it was fortunate that was all the War Armor had done.

Trailing the connecting magic strand behind him, Anton swung around near what was, for lack of a better term, the thing's face. Twisting his baton a little, Anton quickly yet carefully called up a fourth rune for it to join to, and then threw out another to link the first. Heat warming his jacket's boots, he flung himself up into a sharp upward climb.

Flipping around once he was above the still-oblivious machine, he flung his baton out and downward in a mighty swing, and cried out:

"**Infinity TORNADO!"  
**

In unison, each of the runes burst, expelling a large amount of wind which began to spin, taking the same path Anton had to prepare the spell. The winds came together as they spun, growing taller to form a tight cyclone around the machine. As he watched in satisfaction (and part surprise), the force of the wind blew his hair back.

Rudimentary programming oblivious to all this, the missile kept going – and, not an inch before the young man's face, was swept away by the gales, spun helplessly, and returned to sender by hitting the War Armor right in it's side. A considerable hole was made in the crude armor: evidently its maker hadn't accounted for the very weapons it was built to fire.

"_Well, that's lucky." _Anton thought, too relieved to do much else. He took a drag from his inhaler, and didn't even react when Alyssa came up next to him.

She was smiling. "Not bad, Inspector." The flame on the end of her spear had grown quite large. She hefted it up over her head. "If you don't mind me piggybackin', think I'll-"

Anton held up one finger. "Wait." His tone was so different that, for once, that was just what Alyssa Triad did. She followed his pointing finger down into the vortex, where several different types of debris were now spinning after being sucked up; rocks of various sizes, a stop sign, a traffic light…and a very thick, long beam that the construction team had been about to install.

"Okay, I get the idea," Alyssa muttered, "but what makes you so sure it's gonna-"

"I had straight As in Spell Composition at the Academy," Anton interrupted as the metal beam, the wind building up force within it through its rotation, abruptly turned and shot forward to bury itself right in the War Armor's side more than halfway up its length, "physics, too."

Obviously, that hadn't been enough to destroy it, but with the hiss of electronics shorting out, the AMF that had been outlined by Anton's spell faded away.

"NOW, hurry!" he cried to Alyssa – not that there was any need. Flashing an eager grin at Anton, she lifted the spear. "Try this one on for size, Inspector!"

"**CRIMSON **_**STORM**_**!"**

The fire leaped away from the spear's edge with all the surging tenacity such a name implied, forming into the shape of a mighty lance blade that seared down toward the funnel's open top.

Just before it reached, however, she flashed the young man a look that made him feel heat that definitely wasn't from the fire. Alyssa clenched her fist tightly and the fire split off into two streams of fire that swept down into Anton's wind, igniting it as it continued spinning. As he watched, the force of the flames seemed to increase the tunnel's rotation, whilst they fanned the fire – within a few moments, the entire conflagration swept down upon the hapless robot.

The sound of popping and sizzling circuitry was clear even from their altitude, as well as the whine of the main gun's charge failing and overloading itself. Then, finally, there was the sound of the explosion as the gun collapsed, taking the lesser turrets and launchers with it in the combustion. As the fire dissipated, the once-mighty armor gave a shudder before collapsing entirely.

Anton gave a deep exhaling of breath that quickly became a wheeze when Alyssa clapped him hard on the back. "Heheh, see Inspector, not that hard, right? Nice teamwork, heheh."

"T-thank you, I-" he began, wondering exactly what the young lady's definition of teamwork was, when she suddenly seized him by the collar. "W-wait, what are you-"

"Getting you away from that." Alyssa said smoothly. She pointed with her spear: the collapsed armor had begun to shudder, smoke pouring off it in great bursts. The crude metal making up its frame was beginning to glow red hot.

He blinked, pushing up his spectacles. "T-they-"

"Explode once you beat 'em, yeah. Try and keep up, Inspector; isn't this stuff anyone knows?"

This was certainly very true, but that didn't mean he felt like admitting he had forgotten. "Well, ah," he said, trying to change the subject, "what's the general procedure for this here?"

Alyssa shrugged. "It doesn't have anything to do with me, if that's what you're asking. Watch."

Water had seeped out of the cracks the War Armor (not to mention Daniel) made in the street, and now wrapped over the rumbling machine to form an all-encompassing bubble. Not a second too soon, at that, as the barrier shuddered against a mighty yet ultimately futile explosion as it self-destructed. Only then did Anton breath a sigh of relief.

The red-haired woman nodded. "That's Stromhold's department: dealing with those kinds of problems. I never really saw the use of learning magic like that."

"Um, Captain, you can let go of me now."

"Oh, right." Alyssa's near-chokehold was lifted as she released her grip.

The Inspector dusted himself off as he regarded the digging model; the destruction of its bodyguard hadn't appeared to phase it much. "Well," he said, "at least now we only have to worry about-"

Projectiles of light, beam, water and rock raced past his vision, quickly and skillfully pummeling the other war machine. Whatever the strange barrier on the first had been, it seemed quite absent on this model, and it was quickly pummeled into submission, the explosion contained as easily as the first by the good Captain Stromhold.

Alyssa caught his face and smiled. "I'd call that a mission accomplished, wouldn't you, Inspector?"

He pushed his glasses back up for about the fourth time since leaving the helicopter. "Well, the city's still here, no-one died, and _I_ didn't get shot. I'd call that a victory, at least for my first time out."

Not to his great surprise, he found himself nearly flipped straight around as she slapped him heartily across the back. She seemed more energetic in battle (if that were even possible), not to mention friendlier, he realized now - and yesterday, he might have found that profoundly worrying. Now he couldn't think about anything else but one thing:

_"I did it."_

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius - Skyscraper Penthouse - 125 Hours**

Quattro stared. His expression as he looked at the screen was unreadable. Barnes and Katie sat still in their chairs - you could never really be sure what the boss was going to do at times like these. He didn't usually tell people if they'd made him upset: he paid other, bigger gentlemen to impart that information, often in very dark alleys.

They relaxed visibly when he did so, leaning back in his chair and shrugging. "Oh well: you can't win them all, I suppose. Katie, find out who that young man is, hm?"

"Right away, Mister Quattro."

Inside Barnes' pocket came the sound of a ringing phone. Expression not changing an inch, he flipped it open. "Talk to me."

He nodded after a moment. "Got it." He flipped the device closed, replaced it, and nodded to his boss. "That was the guys, boss. Teleport went off without a hitch."

Quattro clapped his hands together. "Wonderful!" He flashed a smile at his female assistant. "And now that my humble idea is done, it is time for Katie's part of the plan to begin. I must say, I've been looking forward to seeing it all week."

The girl stood up and took a bow. "I assure you, Mister Quattro, you won't be disappointed."

She moved toward the door. "I'll begin at once. Come, Barnes."

The giant man's mouth twitched downward as he followed.

"Have fun, both of you." Quattro said as he watched them go. Switching off the monitors, he swivelled his chair around to the window. _"Hmm...for some reason, I can't help but think things are about to become very interesting around here."_Another Chesire Cat smile touched his lips.

The intercom on his desk, inactive until now, suddenly buzzed to life. Clicking it, Quattro spoke, "Yes, Janie?"

_"Just wanted to remind you about your meeting at 2 O'Clock, Mr. Angelo."_

_"...and now for something far less entertaining."_Quattro sighed. "Thank you, Janie. And I told you, call me Quattro."

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius...? - Location Unknown - 125 Hours?**

"Destruction of Unit 1 from Model L and Unit 1 from Special Model D has been confirmed."

An officer in the TSAB who had ever been on the bridge of one of their ships, or seen the command rooms in more important bases would have been reminded quite closely of them by this location. It had the same expansiveness, almost equal to an auditorium hall in size, and filling seemingly every spare bit of that space was similar magitechnology.

There were crucial differences, however. While the TSAB's facilities were typically all lit brightly, whether through natural, fluorescent, or supernatural means, here there was only perpetual shade, the barest gray piercing it cast by small, ugly looking lanterns. That, and the monitors, spanning from wall to wall – in a Bureau facility, they would have manned by quick-thinking, intelligent people suited for the job. In here, they weren't 'people' at all – the same robots as those deployed against Section Thirteen were seated, fingers clicking the keys and eyes never leaving the monitors.

A man sat at the head of the room, on a platform elevated slightly from the rest. He was flanked by four monitors, all relaying information processed by the rest. He looked up at the announcement, toward the front of the room and one of the only humans within it – and the entire facility itself.

"Failed? Strange. Data was meant to be comprehensive. Recording pass through intact?"

"Yes."

"Playback unit's final moments, please."

Without a word, the operator did so. The man watched from the defunct War Armor's perspective as Anton flew around it, setting up the spell that ultimately laid it to ruin. "Pause, please."

The recording halted on the clearest image of the Inspector the machine had been able to pick up. He watched it carefully for a moment.

Then, briskly, "Send image to Leonard; have him assign priority to next unit deployed, should he appear again."

He dispelled the video as the monitor returned to its numeric rundowns. "What of Lost Logia?"

"Artifact appears to have been transported out of the location it was buried, and sent elsewhere."

The man pursed his lips. "Another of Angelo's schemes. Where is signal originating from?"

A moment passed while the operator made keystrokes. "…it appears that the Logia's signal has been split several ways. They appear to be exactly alike: deciphering the genuine article from the rest may take some time."

"Do so, please."

The typing resumed, faster than before. Turning to the same monitor as before, the man pressed a single key. It lit up with an image, but this one was live, showing a dark-clad figure with red, piercing eyes. Behind it were crowds of trees, and a small pond. The figure saluted as soon as the connection was established. _"Sir."_

"Cashim, have job for you. Angelo is up to something." He paused for a moment – that is, a half-second. "Shadow Section Thirteen until have determined his intent for the Logia. Do not confront directly. Contact once acquire new information."

_"Yes, sir."_The figure said, and the connection cut.

Switching the monitor back to its data, the man nodded. He was not a person as inclined towards introspection as, say, Quattro, but he did have one thought on the matter: he had sent in Cashim. Cashim would accomplish the duty. There was no reason to entertain any possibility otherwise.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius - Section Thirteen Headquarters, CO Office - 135 Hours**

While Captain Stromhold and the rest of Water Squad handled clean-up and civilian relations (Alyssa had been banned from the former ever since an unfortunate incident involving the mayor and her fist), Team Fire headed back to base, picking up Ace and GD along the way - quite literally.

Now Alyssa raised her hand and knocked on the door to the office of Major Destin, the commanding officer of Section Thirteen.

"He probably won't mind you're late," she said airily, "not as much if you'd been early, anyway."

There was no answer, so the Captain opened the door - and her hand snaked up instantly to grab a large dart inches before it thudded straight between her eyes.

"Nice, Maj." she said dryly. "Think the Inspector nearly jumped two feet."

Anton tried to keep himself from going red, unsucessfully.

"If you have a problem with it, then don't walk in _while_I'm throwing darts, geez." came a bored-sounding voice from within. "That's the guy from headquarters, right? Show him in."

"'kay." Alyssa replied. She turned to Anton and clapped him on the shoulder. "Well, see ya, Inspector. Think about what I said, alright?"

"Uh…yeah." the young man said as she walked away, not looking back. He watched her go, and sighed before heading in, looking at the black-haired man sitting at the desk. He was looking back at him, too, and smiling.

Major Mark Destin was a relative unknown in the TSAB Military, even to the Langsley Family's files, which was odd, considering how impressive his career had been until this point. The Destin family wasn't much – standard military family, really – and yet he had graduated from his academy at the top of his class, with full honors. The first notable operation concerning him, little more than a year after his graduation, was on a ship that had been assigned to map unknown dimensional territory, the _Anubis_.

In the middle of the voyage, disaster struck in the form of an extremely powerful dimensional storm spawned by a sudden time-space tear, wholly undetected by the ship's sensors. The vessel's defenses were quickly overwhelmed, and its captain was quickly knocked into a coma by the shockwaves. Many of the ship's personnel lost their lives as the tear threatened to rip it apart between two different dimensions.

But at seemingly the last moment, they were all saved: by the then Corporal Destin, who managed – _somehow _– to close the rift, albeit at the cost of putting great stress on his Linker Core and falling comatose for even longer than the vessel's commander. When he awoke, he found a medal greeting him, along with a stern warning not to try anything so stupid again.

That had been the first such incident, but it was far from the last. The Major's feats and promotions only increased from there on, rivaling a certain Lieutenant Colonel's. After many different transfers and positions, he now found himself in the leadership seat of Section Thirteen. One might wonder how such a competent individual could possibly fit in with such…_unique _people.

And then you saw many things: his attitude, his general posture (and, by association, table manners), the way he wore sunglasses at all times, even high noon, and, most of all, his sense of humor. The slow realization as you realized he _honestly thought _what he had just said was hilarious could probably be used for some kind of test.

But surely, Anton had reasoned before coming here, no-one could _really _be like that deep down. Why, if all the rumors about Hayate Yagami's personal life he'd heard were true, she'd probably have been arrested at least three times by now. And on the other hand, anyone capable of recruiting someone like Captain Triad as a subordinate _had_ to have hidden depths?

Another dart whistled past his ear in a fancy trick shot, and the thought left his mind in a hurry. The sound of the door clicking closed was barely registered by him.

"So," the Major said pleasantly, "you're the Inspector, eh? How you liking our little slice of the Bureau?"

Anton nodded. "Well, I've compiled all the necessary information, I think, and I even managed to get your team in action-"

"Thanks for that, by the way; it's kinda bad publicity for me if I let the city get blown up, know what I mean?"

"…um, thank you, but-"

"Especially liked the tornado bit. Not _my _idea of subtlety, you understand, but pretty good coming from a desk jockey."

"Well, yes sir, I'm glad I could help, but-"

"Heh, I guess you might say you 'blew them away', heheh-"

"MAJOR!" Anton's hand came crashing down on the table, surprising Destin, his device, and, frankly, himself. "Will you please listen to me a moment!"

The Major blinked after a moment, and waved a hand. "You have my undivided attention."

"Thank you." Anton breathed, and leaned back. "As I said, I managed to see Riot Force Thirteen in action, and I've come to a decision."

Destin leaned forward, not really sure what to make of this. Was it just usual behavior for Inspectors? He'd never really paid attention before. "…and? What's that?"

Anton cleared his throat carefully. "I…"

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen, Captain Triad's Quarters – 535 Hours**

Alyssa Triad was _bored_.

She'd felt that way for a while, and had tried hard to ignore it, but there was just no getting around it. Anyone would get bored fighting the same people over and over, and that was precisely all she'd been doing so far at Section Thirteen. On a good week with her old family, she'd fight opponents of all shapes, sizes and powers. These days it was same old, same old, day in, day out. Sure, the War Armors were always different, but they weren't _real _opponents – just sponges for magic, when you got right down to it.

The young woman let out a sigh; that Inspector had been an interesting guy. He'd almost reminded her of herself when she was younger. Maybe she'd keep an eye out, see if he took what she said to heart…maybe.

So caught up in her own thoughts was Alyssa that she didn't even notice the door to the room next to hers opening. No-one was using that one anyway, so it was probably just-

A large clatter came from inside, along with a very familiar curse.

Jumping off the bed, Alyssa quickly ran to the other room and flung open the door. Lying there, groaning next to a few boxes, was Anton.

She stopped short. "I-inspector!"

He stirred slightly, correcting his glasses. "Yes…really wish it wasn't, though. Could you-"

"No problem." she said quickly, stooping to pick up both of the crates and dropping them on the vacant table before offering Anton a hand. "You alright, Inspector? What are you doing in here?"

Anton took it and climbed to his feet. "Thank you. And, well, I'm here unpacking." He waved a hand at the boxes, stuffed with clothing, a small office's worth of writing articles, and, of course, medical supplies. "Can't you tell?"

Alyssa raised an eyebrow after a moment, folding her arms. "Uh, yeah, I don't think I went blind in the last few hours. I meant what are you still doing here? Don't you have your report to send?"

"Already did." he replied briskly, taking a few suits and moving to hang them up in the closet. "Akashic's good at doing that kind of thing. She's down at the labs, getting registered, recalibrated…I understand that's standard procedure for Devices in units like this."

The Captain slowly moved around until she could look him in the eye. A sly smile was on her face. "Does that…mean what I think it means, Anton?"

He smiled behind his glasses. "You're looking at the new secretary and Riot Force member of Section Thirteen, Fire Squad. Pleased to report for duty, Captain."

"AWESOME!" Anton let out a yelp as he was engulfed into a crushing bear hug from the woman. "I knew you were gonna be interesting right away when I saw you, just wait: I'll teach you the ropes faster than you can-"

She stopped talking as suddenly as if someone had removed her batteries. "…Secretary?"

"Don't laugh, it was the only – you're laughing, aren't you?"

_To be continued…_

_Next time, Anton begins settling in at his new post, and getting to know his fellow members more deeply, especially those in Fire Squad. Strange plans are afoot, however, and the secretary's first assignment is an…odd one._

_**Settling In**_, _coming quicker than this chapter. I promise._

GeshronTyler – Thanks, I've had them cooking up for a while, along with this story.

Moczo – Darn, I thought it was going to be something like that, if anything. Well, I intended that scene to partially show that Anton's more familiar with reading about things than actually experiencing them. I could probably rewrite that scene to put emphasis on that. Thanks for the heads up.

Until next time, see you, readers.


	3. Settling In

**Section Thirteen**

**Chapter Two: Settling In**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Training Room, Sparring Area – 900 Hours**

The sound of a synthesized bell went off as Anton hit the padded floor, cradling his head.

"Statement: winner, Corporal Spade, by knock-out."intoned GD, sitting on a bench off to the side. "Assessment: currently, the score is 10 for Corporal Spade, 0 for Secretary Langsley. The average duration of matches so far has been-"

Arturia glared at him. "GD, that is quite rude."

"Apology: pardon me, Lady Lackland. As this is training, I merely assumed that to be pertinent information."

"I-it's fine," Anton grunted as he got to his feet, "this is good, anyway. I guess I've gotten a little rusty."

His opponent, on the other hand, looked far more concerned. "Are you sure, Anton?" Ace asked. "We could take a break if you need it."

Anton shook his head. "No, no, I can go another round – if _you_can, of course."

They began again. The general idea was simple: keep Ace from pummelling him however he could; binds, projectile spells, anything. Simple in theory, of course, as when it came to simply steamrolling over an opponent you couldn't find anyone better than him. He fought using a self-taught style of Strike Arts that placed endurance above all else, and so far Anton hadn't been able to find a single thing he couldn't withstand.

Throughout the whole exercise, Alyssa had been watching him very carefully; she hadn't said a single word so far.

Soon enough, he ended up on the floor once again. With a sigh, he accepted the offered hand and off to the side. Neither one of them was in their Barrier Jacket at the moment; best not to escalate things too far on someone's first day.

"Well," he began, looking at the green tome, "how was that, Akashic?"

The Device took a moment to reply. _"Mediocre, Young Master."_she finally said.

He laughed. "I guess, eh?" Hesitantly, he looked over at his new commander. "How was that, Captain?"

Alyssa's chin was in her hands. "Well…" she began, paused, and then finally shrugged and said, "you kinda _suck_."

She stood up and began to walk around him. "I think I get the picture, though. You're definitely not an up-close kind of guy, and that's fine, you seem to know that already. But if you're gonna be any use at mid and long range, we'll have to step up your binds and projectile training, and make sure you can dodge long enough to actually use 'em."

Folding her arms, she sighed again. "It's sure not going to be easy." Her tone was a pleased one, however.

"I'll do whatever training you ask me to, Captain." Anton put in loyally.

"I'd sure hope so," she said, patting him on the shoulder, "'cause I don't feel like going easy on you."

Alyssa moved back to the bench, jerking a thumb at Ace. "Hey Spade, you're done for now." As the martial artist left to get a drink, she turned to regard the more…metallic member of their quintuplet. "GD, your turn."

Arturia looked up sharply as the droid stood. "782, lower yourself to-"

"_Fifty_percent." Alyssa interjected cheerfully. "We have that meeting in like half an hour, after all." Arturia glared at her momentarily before sighing and sitting back.

GD nodded. **"Acknowledgement: I will be careful, Captain, Lieutenant."**

Walking over to across from Anton, the robot bowed. **"Query: have you received training on facing AMF-equipped foes, Secretary?"**

A bit surprised at the blunt question, Anton nodded. "Er, yes. It was scheduled for everyone, actually. Just in case, I suppose." He felt a bit awkward, but that was to be expected when you were admitting you'd been taught how to destroy something efficiently to that very same thing. GD didn't appear put, however, only nodding in agreement.

"**Statement: ah, I had assumed such." **He lifted up his claws. **"Request: then please pay close attention, Secretary."**

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Debriefing Room – 930 Hours**

This was one room that Anton hadn't gotten the chance to view in what had meant to be his temporary visit to the complex, but sadly, at the moment he couldn't fully appreciate. Groaning inwardly, he squirmed in the chair, trying to get an arrangement that wouldn't bring a pang of complaint from his shoulders, arms, legs…well, let's be generous and say _everywhere_. GD had learned to acclimate among humans well enough, all things considered, but he hadn't quite mastered being _gentle _with them.

Forgetting that for a moment, though, the conference room of the base was a pleasant enough location. Located on the same wing of the second floor as Major Destin's office and room, it was a rather small affair, with enough room for a large computer screen and a long table, with nine – now ten – chairs arranged around it in whatever order the officers felt like. Authority was largely put to rest inside headquarters, as it typically was in the TSAB.

"Alright, let's see," Major Destin began from his seat at the head of the table, searching through some files in front of him, "the first business on the agenda is…oh yeah. Doctor?"

The screen lit up, and the old genius' face appeared there. _"I was waiting, Major. Yes, I took the liberty of analyzing the readings Water Squad were kind enough to acquire yesterday, and determined that there was indeed a Lost Logia buried at that construction site. It had only been activated recently, I think."_

None of the Riot Force Officers looked surprised – not that Anton was surprised, given what he'd heard yesterday.

"_So, Anton, if you're going to be working with us, I figure you should probably know a few things about us and what we do." Destin had said. "Stuff that's a bit more...undercover, if you understand my meaning."_

_His mind had wandered back to his short conversation with Doctor Marion. "I might." he had said calmly._

_Destin nodded. "Yeah, you looked like a smart guy. Well, you know how Section Six was formed to deal with that JS Inci – oh, no, you wouldn't."_

_Anton's eyes had widened, both at the flippant tone and the information it carried. "But I thought their purpose was-"_

"_Politics; I'll tell you later." Destin said with a wave of his hand. "To make a long story short, _officially _we're here to keep law and order stable while the city expands. _Really _we're here because of what this planet used to be," he leaned forward, "the Capital of a Belkan Empire." _

"…_really?" Anton had said lamely. The Langsleys went in for politics (although apparently, not _perfectly)_, not history._

_The Major nodded again. "Yep, and they sure liked their artifacts. Just in the last two months, we found a little more than a dozen Lost Logia, all deadly in some niche way. The Bureau higher-ups noticed that before-hand, so they called down the chain, and got me." He whistled. "Rounding up these guys wasn't easy, let me tell ya. But I told them what I'm telling you now: sure you're still up for it? I think you saw what other people are willing to do to get their hands on just one of them yesterday."_

_Anton had to think about it for a moment. A short one. "Absolutely, Major."_

The Major's voice in the present brought him out of his thoughts. "I kinda figured. What can you tell us about it, Doc? Any specifics?"

Forrester appeared to consult some documents before him. "Well, let's see…oh, yes. Absolutely none. I apologize."

"Wouldn't be any fun if we knew all the facts right away." said Alyssa, shrugging.

"It'd sure be easier, though." Dwight sighed from his seat.

Doctor Forrester nodded. _"Indeed. But I _did _manage to learn something quite interesting. It seems that the area the Logia was buried in was affected by a long-range transportation magic, most likely the work of a team of several mages."_

"Is that so?" Captain Stromhold leaned forward. "Exactly how did we not notice that, then?"

The old man shrugged. _"It wouldn't be particularly hard, in a battle as chaotic as yours tend to be. Even putting that aside, I was only able to uncover traces of it through my, ha ha, usual methods, so clearly subtlety was taken into account. I'd say there's a significant possibility that both those armors were a distraction, as well." _His lip curled. _"One of the few things they excel at after all."_

GD tapped a finger on the table. **"Query: have you managed to pin-point where the Lost Logia was sent to, Doctor?"**

"_I'm afraid not, sadly. The magical saturation from the battle was quite severe, and our sensors here weren't able to get a lock on the spell." _His face grew grave. _"Or, rather, at least a definite one. We've found at least a half-dozen places where the Logia _could _have been sent, but they're all seemingly identical. Some shenanigans they've done with it, I'm sure – hopefully it won't lead to an explosion."_

Major Destin shrugged. "I doubt it'd have mattered either way; that bunch can cover their tracks like no-one else." A smile crept up on the corners of his mouth. "You might even say they're _eely _good at getting out of trouble, eh?" He paused.

Daniel scowled. "They probably just want to give us some time to stew before their next plan shows its face. What a pain in the ass."

"If you need something to do, then get ready for it, Librarian." His captain said, fixing him with a glare. "As much as you like to complain, we've always stopped them before. Just concentrate on doing it again."

"See, eels are slippery, and so are the criminals on Gardius, so I called them _eely _good."

Arturia cleared her throat politely. "Pardon me, Doctor, but what of the other matter? The War Armor we faced yesterday used two new weapons we had never seen before. Might you have information on them?"

"_Ah," _Forrester snapped his fingers, making everyone wince, _"I had nearly forgotten, thank you. Yes, just as Miss Lackland says, we encountered some new toys yesterday." _He clicked a few keys on the console before him, and the screen divided down the middle, the right side showing the strange missile weapon from earlier.

"_This weapon is fairly self-explanatory, I should think: a portable weapon with the same properties as an Anti-Magic Field. When it exploded, a powerful pulse was released, one that instantly destabilized Captain Stromhold's barrier." _He hummed to himself. _"I imagine it would be fairly useless against any offensive magic, but any static fields like barriers or shields are most likely fair game."_

The old man leaned forward. _"There's more to it than that, however. Not only was the barrier dispelled, the missile also released a cloud of particles."_

Jeanne nodded. "I thought I saw something in the air back then."

"It's a play on words, y'know: combining really and eel. Which they're like. Get it?"

"_Yes, well," _he liked his lips a bit before continuing, _"it's difficult to explain. As far as I can tell, these particles _analyze _the exact parameters of the spell, and disperse across the area where it was originally case. If you had attempted to put up a second barrier, Captain, it simply wouldn't have worked."_

The veteran raised an eyebrow, and leaned back. "Well, there's bad news I sure didn't need to hear this early. So they're playing for keeps now, huh?"

Alyssa frowned. "Not to mention whoever's making these things, if they've started making weapons like these. What about that barrier, Doc? You know, the one Arturia totally couldn't get through?" She smiled at the knight's frown.

"_Oh, yes." _The right side of the screen switched to a video displaying Arturia's failed attack on the War Armor from yesterday. _"Watch closely now…there." _It paused just as the barrier flashed into view. _"Now, notice how it only appears when her Device comes close? This barrier is designed for much the same purpose as Anti-Magic Field Barriers, but with different applications. As shown here, it can guard against Armed Devices far better than them."_

GD blinked a bit. **"Impressed: that is quite startling information. No Gadget Droid would be capable of withstanding Lady Lackland's swordplay."**

"_So you're fond of saying, GD. If that were all, I wouldn't bother reporting it, but there's something more to worry about. While undergoing maintenance, I looked through the data readings from the 2__nd__ Lieutenant's Device during the few moments it was nearby the barrier's field. The results I received were startling."_

"I guess you _don't _get it; fine."

Arturia's mouth tightened a bit. "What of the results?"

The Doctor sighed and waved a hand casually. _"Don't be melodramatic; there's no damage to it, or at least none that I could find…so, there's no damage to it. What I mean is, while it neared the barrier, the Device detected magic, as they are wont to do. His own, to be precise."_

"I'm guessing that's not just his own feedback, either, is it?" Dwight asked.

"_And," _Forrester held up one finger like a gunshot, _"that is where you would be wrong, Lieutenant. The readings are _somewhat _it's own, but differ in a key aspect: they were magnetized."_

His single eye darkening a shade, GD glowered. It was an expression that came easily to a robotic cyclops. **"Query: similar to the time you set up the metal pole in the center of the labs, then asked me to stand nearby it before running behind cover and flipping the switch?"**

Doctor Forrester's goggles glinted. _"Oh, quite, GD; thank you for the reference. Indeed, I could liken this new barrier to a magnet very well – so I will. As you all know – oh, I apologize, excusing Captain Triad and the Librarian's presence-"_

"Bite me."

"Kiss my ass."

"_-magnets react quite differently depending on their proximity to another of identical or opposite polarity. They will be attracted by one of opposite polarity, and repelled by alike polarity. Think of these readings as a magnet of alike polarity: the barrier detected the Device coming near it, and quickly calibrated its barrier to deflect it. I imagine a similar arrangement would occur for spells." _He paused. _"That means exactly what you think it does, by the way."_

Dwight frowned. "So it's like we thought – whoever's been making these things have been using us for guinea pigs."

Anton nodded. "Right: it didn't have any effect on my spells."

"Is there a path through?" asked a quiet voice: Otavi, who had been silent since the meeting began. "Can it truly stop all magic?"

He shook his head. _"In a word…no. No defense can be absolute, and this barrier is not unique in that respect. As Secretary Langsley was kind enough to demonstrate, it can only guard against attacks or Devices specifically programmed into it. With precision also comes weakness: a good lesson for anyone. Any spells you haven't used, or ones that have been modified, should be enough to pierce it."_

With a puckering sound, the Doctor clicked his tongue. _"There is also another method I suppose I should mention. Attacking the barrier with two different magic attacks _should _render it unable to completely block either. Of course, on the other hand, that implies the presence of, ahem, _synergy_. So, pros and cons all around."_

Picking up the files before him, he tapped them slowly in a non-too subtle way. _"Well, I believe that's all of the problems that require me, so I really must be getting back to my work. I'll call you, should any new developments come up to our current problem. Toodles."_

The screen clicked off. The Major was stroking his chin. "Let's see…what else is there…"

Alyssa raised a hand. "Uh, Chief? You remember, you hired this new guy? Have anything to say about that?"

"…oh, right, that. Everyone, this is Anton, Anton, Everyone. He said he was good at paperwork, so I hired him. Be nice…or don't."

They had all learned about it yesterday at some point (it was impossible for someone like _him _to fade into the background _here_), but gave Anton polite nods anyway.

"Speaking of which," the Major drawled, standing up, "I think we all have a couple things we should be doing right now, huh? Everyone, dismissed. C'mon, Langsley, I'll show you to your work."

"Yes sir." Anton said, getting to his feet. He saw Alyssa give him a little wave as they all left.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen, 2****nd**** Lieutenant Lackland's Quarters – 948 Hours**

"**Request: Lady Lackland, may I ask a question?"**

"What is it, 782?" Arturia asked, her voice deathly calm and distracted, as though she didn't fully recognize the droid's presence.

In fact GD was the only person in Section Thirteen who would fully understand what the Lieutenant was now undergoing. Even in this modern era, Verum Knights took their duty deathly seriously. Extinguishing a life, even an artificially created one, could never be taken lightly, and was considered only an absolute last resort by them. But it would be easy to think otherwise. Far too easy.

So, both knights and priests of the house routinely underwent a deep meditation to focus on themselves, and make certain of remaining on the right path. Doing so in the company of another, even a fellow brother or sister, was typically discouraged: thoughts could…blend in trances like these. But since Section Thirteen was nowhere near a synonym for absolute solitude, she had employed GD to serve as a doorman. There was no mind there to muddle – or at least none she knew of.

The Gadget Droid shifted awkwardly from his position near the door. **"Query: what do you think of Secretary Langsley's reassignment to our Section? You seemed somewhat disaffected when you first learned of it."**

Arturia's mouth creased downward. It couldn't be called a frown with no effort behind it. "The action itself I do not think much of. If the Major thinks he was worthy of it, then I have no problems. But I do wonder why he was assigned to Fire Squad: our purpose is for combat. The Captain has her experience and fire magic, I have my swordplay, and you and the Corporal are living weapons. What does he have? From what I have seen, he would fit in much better with our sister team."

She shrugged lightly. "Perhaps he will surprise me. I know the Captain has her eye on him, and if nothing else, she is often correct in these matters. But for now, 782, please be silent. I must have concentration.

"**Apology: excuse me, Lady Lackland; I was merely curious."**

The crease in the knightess' forehead indicated strongly that she thought otherwise.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Training Room, Sparring Area – 945 Hours**

"So, Ace, been meaning to ask you something."

The young man ducked under the swift punch, then let loose with a swift uppercut that was evaded by a graceful flip. "Oh? About what, Captain?" 

"Those Boltheads you and GD fought yesterday. I know the War Armors got stronger, but what about them? I know we usually let you and GD handle them, but every time I ask him to explain something I can't understand half of it. Probably does it on purpose, too."

Parrying another set of punches, Ace grunted as one sneaked in and clipped him on the cheek. "Well, I don't know if I'm the best person to ask, but alright." While blocking a few more attacks, his brow screwed up in concentration. "I think they _did _seem a bit more on the ball, looking back on it," he said finally, "it felt like their shots did a bit more damage, and a few of them nearly hit GD."

Alyssa hummed a bit as she dodged backward from Ace throwing his weight out suddenly. "Heh, guess even having our data isn't much of an advantage for those rustbuckets. Still, if they're getting stronger, we'll have to do the same thing: hope that's not a problem."

Ace cracked his knuckles together and smiled. "That's never been a problem for me before, Captain. I won't let it happen now."

"Good to hear it." Alyssa grinned back. She stretched a little, limbering up her arms as a red aura overtook her body. "I think that's enough warming up for now. Let's get serious, eh?"

In turn, electricity began to run across Ace's frame. "Oh, I'm _always _up for that, Captain."

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Roof – 1000 Hours**

"I _thought _I'd find you up here."

Jeanne didn't turn around at the deep voice, not even when Dwight had crossed to the rooftop's edge and sat down next to her. "So you guessed right," she muttered, "want a medal?"

"If there was one, I'd probably have it by now." the sniper said evenly. He looked out across the city – the headquarters' location gave it an unrivalled view of it. "You come up here every time you're upset, after all." Dwight added.

The Captain glared at him with one eye. "You always seem to be up here, too. Wonder if there's any coincidence?"

Dwight shrugged. "Maybe we both like the…_view_?"

The glare continued for a moment before Jeanne sighed, digging into her uniform pocket and retrieving a packet of cigarettes. It was angled roughly a fraction toward her lieutenant. When wasn't taken after a second, she slid one of the cylinders into her hand before retrieving a lighter.

"Good thing for both of us it's still in one piece then, huh?" she said as the tiny flame blossomed. "We didn't even have to lift a finger to make sure – lucky."

Dwight leaned his head back to look up at the sky, an unreadable expression on his face. He had been apart of Section Thirteen for barely two months now, but it had only taken him about two days to realize the Captain he was working under had, beneath the attitude of the average grizzly bear, the self esteem of the average sheep. If something could even be vaguely connected to being her fault, she'd consider it so, and react to anyone who said otherwise with her usual personality, _squared_.

He sometimes wondered why he bothered…well, no, he _knew _that. But he felt like asking all the same.

"It's too bad we don't all have precognition," he began, with the same caution as a man edging out over a waterfall, "you'd never have to beat yourself up like this then."

Fixing both eyes onto him this time, Jeanne took a lengthy drag. "Smooth, Jacobs – it take you a whole minute to come up with that one?"

She always seemed to save her best material for him. "Alright," Dwight said, shrugging, "I'll be blunt. What nearly happened yesterday isn't your fault, and I definitely don't know why you think otherwise. Better?"

A minute passed after he said that. Another thing about Captain Stromhold: she could outstare a brick wall.

Finally, after a few more long puffs from the nicotine stick, she flipped it lightly over the side. Dwight watched the flame spiral the long way down.

"Yesterday," Jeanne said, suddenly, "tomorrow. Next week, last week, or a month ago or from now. If it had happened any other day, people probably would have died. It might have happened anyway; there's no way to know, like you just said. You want to tell me not to think about it, Jacobs? I'll tell you to kiss my ass."

She got up and walked away. Dwight watched her go, his gaze lingering for a moment even after the door had slammed shut.

He shrugged. "Still better than last time I tried." the man murmured to thin air.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Library – 1015 Hours**

Anyone who had somehow viewed the last three conversations (through undoubtedly illegal means), might have wondered what introspection the latter two members of Water Squad had on this issue: surely they had some input? If you were to ask Librarian Trail at this moment, his would be somewhere on the lines of: "Do I look like I have free time to you, wise guy? Either lend a hand, or buzz off…actually, no, wait. Just buzz off."

This was because Daniel was currently undergoing his rounds. Many people might have called him scruffy, rude, and inconsiderate, and, well, he was all those things. But he took any job involving knowledge – even one a bit less _hands-on _than he was used to – deathly seriously.

And anyway, he didn't really think much of these new 'problems' anyway. Sure, the guys making these things were a _bit _creative, but they still couldn't hold a damp candle to the geniuses behind Ancient Belkan deathtraps. His body still held certain areas that wouldn't ever forget this fact, despite Doctor Marion's best efforts.

Speaking of Ancient Belkan…

"Take care of these, Otavi – the shelf over there, right?"

The enigmatic girl nodded, taking the books and moving toward the indicated shelf. Watching her for a moment, Daniel moved forward with his cart, sorting novels and texts with expert speed.

He sighed when he heard the clatter from behind him. Turning, he moved back to help her pick them up, with a demeanor that went further from merely suggesting that this wasn't the first time. As he did, he made sure to get a good look at her eyes: sure enough, the slight glaze was still there, like the old expression of staring into space…only without the expression.

He snapped his fingers in front of her, and she blinked, the illusion dispelled, before looking guilty. "Another 'no' one, huh?" he muttered.

Otavi nodded slowly. "I am sorry." she whispered.

Daniel looked at her face for a moment and then sighed. "Right, of course you are. Sorry."

He continued replacing things for the moment. Talking to Otavi was always weird: like she was some fragile sculpture you could break just by opening your mouth.

"So, what about that new guy?" he broached a change of subject cautiously. "I heard you talked with him a little. You like him?"

She didn't reply for a long moment. That alerted him instantly. If there was one person she was at ease speaking to, it was him.

Daniel turned to look into her face. "What's wrong?"

Again, Otavi said not a word, but the guilty expression said it all. He growled under his breath. "Don't tell me…you predicted it?"

The girl nodded timidly.

_That _was sure a new one, but it didn't surprise him very much. "...have you told him?" 

Otavi shook her head vehemently. "I cannot." She didn't elaborate. She never did.

Daniel opened his mouth, only to then shut it again. "Whatever, it's your decision. If you ask me, though, a guy like that Anton would want to hear about it. Just my two cents."

Replacing the last few books, the archeologist moved back to his cart. Otavi followed him obediently, like a loyal dog. She would have gladly told the inspec – secretary about what she had seen. But she could not: it was a rule. Daniel did not seem to understand this. She did not know why.

She also did not know why it pained her to think about it lately.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Secretary's Office (formerly broom closet) – 1100 Hours**

In hindsight, Anton felt, he perhaps should have been a bit suspicious when the _Major _had suggested his current role, not only because it was something he wouldn't have been dragged back to by wild horses at that point, but also the (to Destin, anyway) subtle eagerness in his voice. It probably wouldn't have changed much, but he'd have spent less time kicking himself.

The broom closet (he was still going to call it that, no matter how illustrious the Major made its new purpose sound) was big enough for Anton to take roughly three paces, small ones, before he ran nose-first into plaster, metal, and of course, paper. Large mounds of it were heaped across the desk Ace had shoved inside in a way that could almost make you feel bad for the doorway.

Memos, forms, letters – all different fonts, sizes and purposes, all not important enough for the Major's direct attention. It seemed Captain Stromhold hadn't been simply blowing smoke when she'd spoken with him earlier. But if it left her free to do important things, he'd gladly shoulder the burden.

With a sigh, he returned to work. Back at the office, he'd handled paperwork from top to bottom, but here he'd already had to introduce a few new ones: most of them diagonal.

Taking an envelope from the top, more or less, of the pile, Anton read it and blinked. It was addressed for the Major himself.

At that moment, the door slammed open. "Yo, Anton!" Alyssa barked cheerfully. "Or should I say Secretary?" She'd had a lot of fun with that since yesterday. "How you getting along in here?"

"Oh, not bad." said the young man distractedly. "I'm just looking at this letter for the Major. I guess he has a friend in the city: someone named Angelo?"

Alyssa raised an eyebrow once the name was out of his mouth, her face turning less friendly. "Can I see that, Anton?"

Without waiting for his answer (although, Anton had to remember not for the first time, she _was_ his superior officer), she walked over and plucked the envelope from his hands, looking at the name on the front. Thankfully she didn't open it – at least not yet. 

"Yep," she said after a brief glance, "just like I thought." She tapped the envelope with one finger. "I think he'll want this brought to him right away. Don't get up, I'll handle it."

Anton blinked. "Oh, you know who it's from?" She seemed to know the Major a bit more than the rest of the Squad, so it would make sense.

The Captain turned back and gave him a look he was getting used to: wondering whether he was a total idiot, or just a misinformed one.

Fortunately, she just shrugged after a moment. "Guess he didn't feel like telling you then. Oh well." She waved the envelope. "You ever hear the name Quattro Angelo, Anton?"

"I don't think so," he replied honestly, "who is he?"

Alyssa nodded. "Yeah, I hadn't heard of him before coming here either. He's this bigwig who showed up here when Gardius started really getting developed. Nothing interplanetary, but his company's managed to buy out nearly every major business working to improve the city. Which wouldn't be any of our business ordinarily, but…the Major and Jeanne have a hunch that's not all he's in charge of: someone's been gathering up all the gangs in this city under one flag, and they're sure it's him."

"Well, that's not _so_ surprising," Anton said, adjusting his glasses, "but why didn't he tell me?"

She shrugged. "He probably had some reason. Like I said, it's just a hunch; whoever's in charge is pretty good at covering their tracks, so we haven't found any proof."

Anton nodded. "I suppose if he thought there was a good reason, I'm fine with it. Maybe I'll ask him when I get the chance."

"Yeah, sure," Alyssa said distractedly, "now then…"

With a sigh from her new subordinate, she ripped open the letter. He tried not to listen while she muttered off a few parts of it-

-and then she stopped cold, her eyes narrowing at the bottom of the page. The atmosphere in the tiny closet seemed to grow a bit more oppressive.

He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off. "I'll see you later, Anton." Alyssa said tersely, gripping the paper tightly as she walked out, slamming the door behind her.

"…I'll just get back to work, then."

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen CO Office – 1105 Hours**

In deep contrast to Anton, Major Destin's desk was spectacularly clean of any paperwork, save of course for the crossword – just the way he liked it. There were certain perks of being in charge of a base, he reasoned, and being able to delegate duties beneath you was one of them.

"_Hm, seven letter word for something you usually don't have…"_

The door slammed open.

"_Oh, right, privacy, of course."_

Alyssa crossed the room in a few strides, and slammed the letter down onto the desk. "Look at this, Maj."

Setting down his crossword reluctantly, Destin picked up the paper without a word. Anytime Alyssa sounded serious, something was up.

"Dear Major Destin of blah blah blah, you are formally invited to commemorative who cares celebrating whatever. We would be greatly honored, yeah right, if you could find time to attend in your busy schedule – he says like he doesn't know it inside-out already – and, if possible, bring two guests of your choosing, which I'm sure I will be judged accordingly for."

He set it down and sighed. "_Wonderful _news, Alyssa. You want to tell me my dog just died while you're at it? If I had one, anyway."

"Read the last part." Alyssa said calmly.

The Major took another look at her and did just that. "PS: we would like to personally thank Captain Triad for her part in destroying the War Armor yesterday. Blah blah blah, innocent lives, quick thinking, yaddah yaddah."

"The _signature._" The Captain's voice sounded dangerously impatient. The Major sighed, and looked there.

"What? There's nothing there but a…K" his voice trailed off, and he looked up. "You don't think-"

Alyssa folded her arms. "I think it's a letter that's talking about me, and has the initial of one of my siblings right on it. I don't think that sounds like a coincidence, do you?"

The Major leaned forward. "Maybe, maybe not, but I _do _know that tone in your voice, Alyssa. Is this going to be one of those…_Things_?" He pronounced things in an odd way. The Bureau was used to Things. It got a significant number of its personnel from them. But while they went on, they could be oh so irritating for the people actually in charge.

"Don't give me that, Maj." Alyssa snorted. "I haven't seen either of those two in nearly ten years. If she's here, you bet your ass I'm going."

He took another look at the initial; broad confident strokes, like whoever put it there were trying to send many messages at once. "But if this is from her, she's probably working for Quattro."

Alyssa shrugged. "Wouldn't surprise me one bit, coming from Katie. I don't have any problem teaching her a lesson. Come _on_, Maj!"

Major Destin tapped his finger on the desk for a bit. "…alright, fine. But if you're going, the second tagalong's going to be Langsley. I need someone there who won't go charging off half-cocked. Might be a good learning experience for him, too."

"Anton, huh?" Alyssa murmured. She shrugged. "Whatever. He can take care of himself…or at least not get in my way."

"Having you around will still be better than people knowing I _didn't _go." Destin shrugged. "Just try to keep in mind that this is a recon mission, okay? If Quattro is up to something – and I _know _he's up to something – I want to find out what."

Alyssa smiled and saluted. "Yes, sir! I appreciate it, Major, really."

Destin shrugged. "Yeah, yeah, don't mention it." He watched her leave, and then reached for the phone. _"I wonder when she'll realize this will involve wearing a dress?"_

"OH _CRAP_!"

"_There we go."_

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Angelo Offices Penthouse – 1150 Hours**

To Quattro, these memos and forms were bittersweet. While they certainly represented a personal profit to himself and his company (in that order), they inevitably held dotted lines, queries, and minutes to take up his time. He naturally understood the necessity of a business having a head, but did all of this really have to go through him? It was such a lack of…initiative.

His night job friends, now, _they _understood the importance of taking charge. A person could go very far in a place of new opportunities like this, with only their wits and attitude about them, and to a man, they all intended that to be them. Naturally, this desire was quite fruitless with him at the helm, but it was endearing all the same.

It wasn't just people in his group, either. As he lifted a drink to his lips, Quattro's eyes swiveled to the corner of the room, where one of _their _robots now stood. This one was unique; instead of the dull black metal the weapons were typically forged of, its body was a dusty gold, and a bit bulkier in the limbs and shoulders. It also held a far more human stance than its counterparts, leaning back against the wall as it watched him.

"Good day," he said once he had set the cup down, "to what do I owe this unexpected as, aha, usual visit?"

The robot bowed slightly. _"We were only curious about how you found the performance of our newest unit, Mr. Angelo. As one of our finest customers, your satisfaction is our guarantee, after all."_

Quattro smiled sardonically, although not, oddly, with any humor. "Yet again, asking questions you know very well the answer to. As you saw, despite the new toys that particular War Armor came equipped with, it was ultimately still destroyed by Section Thirteen. Far be it from me to complain about something I paid for, but that doesn't seem to quite fit with the build-up you gave it."

"_Oh?" _the robot's voice rose in a mocking query. _"But it _was _good enough for you to get your hands on that Lost Logia, right?"_

The CEO rallied magnificently. "Just as I said, you have an ear to the ground about everything. I do hope you have no problems with what I use your products for? There are only _so_ many possibilities for them."

"_Not at all, Mr. Angelo," _the robot purred, stepping forward in front of the desk, _"if a client obtains such a bounty with our equipment, it's also a personal victory for us, hm? Who are we to find fault in that?"_

"Exactly," Quattro smiled, nodding, "I'm glad that's settled. Now: why are you here?"

It tilted its head to one side in response. _"You mentioned keeping heads to the ground? We happen to be aware that you have something…_special _planned, although of course not exactly what. Those weapons were far from the only improvements we've made. Several new models of our attack droids were just recently rolled off the assembly line."_

Quattro leaned forward. "Oh? The same attack droids Section Thirteen routinely destroys without effort? You'll excuse me if I am doubtful."

"_Not at all, Mr. Angelo," _said the robot, which then waved a hand, _"I made sure to bring first-hand evidence of their effectiveness."_

As holograms lit up the room, a slow smile spread across Quattro's face. "I _see_…"

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius…? – Location Unknown – 1220 Hours**

With a heavy sigh, the woman lifted the visor from her eyes and stepped back out of the VR Booth, blinking in the room's artificial light. Controlling one of those things might have done wonders for secrecy, but it was still murder on the head. Cybernetics? You could stuff it, as far as she was concerned; especially Leonard's rustbuckets.

"Well?" asked the old buzzard himself, nursing a cup of tea. "How did it go, if I may ask?"

She shrugged. "Well enough. Once I showed him what they could do, he bought an entire battalion's worth. Tch; can't stand seeing money get burned like that, even if it is going to us." Her expression suddenly changed to a grimace, and she doubled over, coughing.

Grasping a cane set nearby his chair, Leonard rose halfway. "Are you alright, Grace?"

Grace's hand moved to her mouth, and after a moment the coughs subsided. She wiped the hand off on her labcoat. "Fine enough not to need sympathy from you, Leonard. Worry about yourself. I'll leave delivering the package to you two."

Striding off, she left the room. Leonard watched her go with a worried expression on his wrinkled face. In societies under the Bureau's order, old men could live to be quite spry, even in their twilight years. He wasn't one of them. While he still had all of his original teeth, and his mind was still sharper than most other's, his body had failed him far less than recently. Any time he sat down, got up, or moved at all, he could hear his bones creaking, and his vision could waver even at the best of times.

Merely getting up in the morning would have been too much, if not for who was sitting next to him. "Lacerta, is Grace's supply of medicine running out?"

The girl blinked, like a computer being queried, and then replied, "At the last inventory, there were fifteen doses of Professor Flush's medication. It has been seven days since then, counting today; therefore, eight remain." Like many people, Lacerta preferred a particular color, and that seemed to be blue. Her long hair, eyes, and frilly dress were all blue of some shade, and even her personality was as passive and gentle as you'd expect from the color.

Leonard smiled gently – although a close watcher would have noted it looked more like a wince. "My, that was quick. I suppose there is no need to worry, then."

He sipped from his glass. "I must say, this is wonderful tea. You've outdone yourself, Lacerta."

The girl nodded. "Thank you, Leonard."

The old man sighed. "You're very welcome, Lacerta."

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius…? – Location Unknown – 1230 Hours**

No matter how much she did it, Grace could never seem to keep from wincing when the needle pierced her neck. Discarding it after a moment, she looked up into the mirror. A magic-based society might have done good things for seniors, but for middle-agers like her, it was practically a god-send. A woman in her forties or even fifties could easily pass for a woman of half that.

But even if that weren't the cause, no-one could argue that Grace Flush didn't have beauty to her. Long golden hair hung down past her shoulders, punctuated by a pair of stunning eyes. It was also obvious even under a labcoat that she took good care of her body. A pair of glasses never hurt, either.

Moving back to her sleeping area, Grace stripped down to her sleeping clothes and sat down, touching the monitor next to her bed. It flicked on, showing the 'boss' himself.

His gaze flicked to her, and she made a point of not flinching. It wasn't easy; he could get the same effect with his eyes as people usually got from wearing sunglasses. He didn't react to her lack of clothing like the other two would have – the man had a mind as sterile as a quarantine ward.

"Grace." he said simply. "Word on sale of the new models?"

She nodded. "Angelo snapped them up: just like you thought he would."

"Obsession with Section Thirteen a weakness. Merely used knowledge of it."

Grace nodded. "Yeah, you're great at that, Cipher," she smirked, "but it's not like one that's exclusive to him. After all, who else do we have to thank for helping develop those new guys, huh?"

"Section Thirteen the most skilled mages in nearest vicinity. Easy to obtain data. Don't see what you are implying."

"Sure you don't." Grace replied, the smirk growing ever so slightly.

Cipher turned his eyes away. "That all? Have work to attend to."

Grace shrugged. "Whatever. I'm going take a nap, so tell those two idiots not to disturb me, alright?"

"Shouldn't be problem. Leonard busy with new units, Tucker with…his pets. Nonetheless, I will inform them."

"Thanks. Wake me up when the units head into battle, alright?" With that, Grace shut off the monitor and lay back. She smiled briefly. _"Well now: I wonder how you'll deal with_ these_ opponents…I'll look forward to seeing it."_

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Basement Lounge – 1415 Hours**

Although under-lit and rather dank at times, the wide room was quite homey. A pool table was set up in one corner, along with several punching bags marked with portraits of well-known Section Thirteen officers. A few long couches and arm-chairs were in the center, usually used for impromptu planning sessions. If nothing else, Quattro treated his subordinates well.

"Boss, boss!"

Behind his sunglasses, Barnes' eyes snapped straight open. He turned in his armchair to regard the nearby underling, who probably thought the labcoat he wore made him look far smarter than it actually did. "Yes? Do you have some good news for me?"

The thug smiled, exposing his bare gums in several places, and nodded eagerly. "Sure do! We got that thing turned on, boss, and it's working…at least, if it's supposed to do what it's doing. We think, anyway."

"What you _think _you think isn't any of our concern," Katie suddenly said, looking up from a novel she was perusing, "is the Logia resonating with your magic?"

"Uh, uh, yeah," replied the underling, caught off guard, "glowed like a christmas tree when we shot some spells at it."

She nodded. "Excellent. Did you set up the equipment in the right way?"

He nodded back, getting comfortable again. "Yep. Me and the boys went through the whole building laying down that pipe-line. Huh, dunno where it's supposed to go, though, 'cause near as I can tell, it ends at a dead-"

"And I'm sure you're an expert on things, aren't you?" Katie purred. "I wonder if you're one on keeping your mouth shut…" she smiled. "That might actually be useful here."

The man gulped, backing away. "S-sure, Ma'am, whatever you say – forget I opened my mouth!" He turned and ran.

"That shouldn't be much of a problem." she said with a roll of her eyes.

Barnes frowned. "You know, I'd appreciate you not halfway giving my men heart attacks."

Katie stretched out on the coach she was on. "I am aware. But I think you should worry more about yourself today, dear Barnes; perhaps you should stretch, get that magic flowing. From Mister Quattro's stories, I'd say your losing streak could use a bit of buffering. It might even be _possible_, with me around now."

Barne's lip curled ever so slightly. "If not, wouldn't it be your fault?"

"Oh? Would you like to find out, Barnes?"

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen CO Office – 1830 Hours**

"_Always hate wearing these things…" _Major Destin grumbled, getting his fingers tangled up for the umpteenth time. _"What's the point of it, anyway?"_

Finally getting his tie on, he looked himself over in the mirror. _"Not too shabby, gotta say. Huh, that'd be good, if any of the women at these things ever had two brain cells to scrape together."_

He was just about to leave (making Alyssa wait wouldn't be a guarantee of his health, commanding officer or no) when a beeping from his desk's computer reached his ears. Sighing, he walked over and clicked the monitor open: Doctor Forrester's wizened face appeared.

"What is it, Doc?" Destin asked, frowning. "I'm kinda busy here, if you weren't aware."

"_I apologize," _the elderly genius said dryly, _"but I thought you might want to know about what I just uncovered. I've narrowed down the signals from that Lost Logia somewhat."_

The Major raised an eyebrow. "Well, that _sounds _good, but could you be a bit more specific? How narrowed, exactly?"

"_Well…"_

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**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Briefing Room – 1840 Hours**

"Four?" Jeanne echoed, frowning slightly. "Arranged how did you say?"

Forrester clicked a few keys, and the screen split into two once more; this time, the addition showed a birds-eye map of the city. Four select areas were colored in red. One matter of interest was how they were laid out.

"_As you can see, these signals are identical in their exact radius, as well as their distance from a particular building…"_

"Angelo Corporation's Headquarters," Dwight finished, "and the ballroom where the Major, Captain Triad, and our new Secretary are heading."

"**Assessment: there are four possible locations for the Lost Logia, and seven available officers." **GD summated.** "In order to investigate all of them, at least one person must go alone."**

All eyes turned to the present Captain – it was her call. After a moment, Jeanne leaned forward, speaking quickly and seriously.

"2nd Lieutenant, Sergeant, you take the northern spot."

Arturia gave GD a sideways glance, but nodded. "Yes, Captain."

"Both of you Librarians, take the western side."

Daniel frowned and kicked up his legs. "So, they go off to dinner, we go off to a total trap? Seems fair." For Otavi's part, it didn't seem like it mattered to her either way.

"Lieutenant, you head out with the Corporal to the east."

Dwight and Ace exchanged a long, slightly awkward glance: that wasn't exactly a standard deployment choice. One that had never come up once before, as a matter of fact.

"As for me, I'll be heading to the south. Whatever goons Quattro has there, I can handle them," she added, just as Dwight was about to open his mouth, "so don't 'worry'. Any questions, problems?"

Silence.

"Let's head out, then. Those three already did, so we shouldn't keep that smug ass' plan waiting. That'd be _rude_."

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Lobby – 1832 Hours**

Anton looked down at the suit he was wearing, and couldn't help but feel a bit exposed. He hadn't expected to be going out to a celebration just one day after joining Section Thirteen. It didn't…feel right, somehow.

"_Why not?" _asked a quiet voice in his head. _"Who knows what might have happened without you there yesterday? Don't you _want _to get any credit?"_

He frowned, pushing it away. "Er, Major?" he said aloud.

"Yeah?"

"I heard from Captain Triad that you think Mr. Angelo is the leader of crime in this city. May I ask why you didn't tell me this?"

Destin sighed. "Yeah. Well…" he scratched the back of his neck. "It's not political, or 'cause I don't like your face, so don't worry. It's a little weird. You know how some people have charisma?"

"…I've _heard _about it."

The Major smiled wryly. "Hehe. Well, Quattro has a bucket-load of it. He likes to give people hints – bill-board sized ones – about what he really is." The smile turned upside down in a flash. "They ignore all of them, just because it doesn't seem right. I wanted you to see what he's capable of before seeing how he acts while doing it."

"So…" Anton blinked. "Why did you pick me to come tonight? There are people far more capable."

"_Is there something else?" _Akashic asked from the crook of his arm.

"You bet." Destin nodded. He leaned in. "Don't tell Alyssa I said this, but there's a very good chance she's going to go wild tonight…not in that way. Something about the letter we got tipped her off; she thinks someone from the past is going to be there."

Never let it be said that Anton couldn't make connections. "You don't mean…"

"I do: her siblings."

_To be continued…_

_Next time, Anton, Alyssa and the Major head off to Quattro's soiree, while the rest of Riot Force Thirteen investigate the four Logia signals. Naturally, trouble awaits at every location – some far more personal than the rest._

_Night Life, coming soon._

Kireas – Well, that certainly is quite a bit of feedback; thank you very much for your input! I suppose I'll answer your main points here:

That attack name is actually somewhat thematic: the 'Infinity' is talking about the Infinity Library. As a member of the Langsley family, Anton has a deep respect for such a bevy of knowledge, after all. I was thinking about naming it Alexandria Tornado, but that would probably be too much of a stretch. Kinda funny to think that a place like that would be nothing special to the Bureau, eh?

The Nanoha universe is a place where virtually any sort of spell can be created, so is it that strange that the set up process could be modified _not _to do that. But I digress: I didn't really think too much of that scene while I was writing it, I apologize.

Ah. I interpreted AMF as the 'proper' acronym for any kind of device in that category, so that may have been the confusion for you. The War Armor's generators of it are designed more toward protecting the unit itself rather than restricting it's assailants' powers – for the most part, they're nowhere near as numerous or agile as the Gadget Droids, so that would be a pretty fruitless endeavor. In case you missed it, the Boltheads aren't equipped with them, however.

Well, heh, it would be boring if I showed you everything they could do in the first battle, wouldn't it? Not to worry, though – the rest of the Riot Force will get their chance to shine next chapter. As for the War Armors, it's pretty difficult to get concrete information on things that blow themselves up whenever you beat them.

I hope this helped answer your questions, and not just create new ones, heh.

AluciusDawn – Well thank you. I particularly like to have casts of wide, diverse characters, so it's nice to see people who appreciate that sort of thing. I think I've pretty much finished the exposition, though, in case that was a bit of a drag, so look forward to more first-hand storytelling from now on.

(I know I picked Arturia, but what other Nasu naming did you see?)

Well, until next chapter, I hope I enjoyed you this time. See you.


	4. Night Life

**Section Thirteen**

**Chapter Three: Night Life**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Lobby – 1835 Hours**

"Hey, you two." Alyssa called airily.

Anton and Destin turned, the latter cupping his chin and nodding approvingly while the latter gulped, frantically adjusting his glasses as he weighed whether or not to keep staring or turn away. 

Alyssa wasn't a woman who put much stock in 'femininity' (as she typically said with a sneer). The Triad's children's gender had largely not meant much to him, and by her adolescence she was well set in her role as a tomboy. But genetics hadn't felt like mentioning this to her body, though, which led to the truly unique predicament of her looking _stunning_, yet hating every moment of it.

Her attention turned instantly to her new subordinate, and she whistled. "Not bad, Anton – I guess a guy like you _would _clean up pretty well."

"_Young Master is very good at being a wallflower." _Akashic chimed in from her position underneath Anton's arm. He and Alyssa had been authorized to bring their Devices for the evening's festivities, in case anything…unexpected happened.

"_Not bad; that's pretty funny, sis!" _snickered Bowie from a…compartment in the red dress. He had been trying out various comments throughout the day in an attempt to make Akashic warm up to him. Anton wasn't quite certain how camaraderie worked for Devices, but it certainly wasn't for her. Calling Akashic a lady might have been a stretch (not that he'd admit that aloud), but Bowie seemed to fit tramp to a T.

Willing his cheeks to unredden, Anton nodded as his device fell silent. "U-uh, thank you, Captain!"

His superior rapped him on the forehead. "Knock it off. This is supposed to be a party, isn't it? Just call me Alyssa tonight; that's an order."

"A-alright, then…" Anton said, trying to wrap his head around that turn of logic.

The sound of a car came from outside, and the Major nodded. "Yep, irritably late, just like I expected. Well, shall we go?"

"Let's," Alyssa said with a nod, before grimacing, "sooner I get this thing off, the better. It's all…loose."

Anton tried not to think about that.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Public Highway – 1837 Hours**

"So, Anton." Alyssa said from her side of the limousine. "Have you been to a lot of things like this? Your family's supposed to be pretty famous, or so I've heard."

From his side (the Major was sitting between them – if he had been able to, his posture strongly indicated his feet would be up on the back of the driver's seat right now), Anton shifted, looking briefly uncomfortable. "Well, yes, I have…but only because my _family _was famous. I doubt it'd have mattered much if I hadn't been there at all. It's a big family."

"_Not _we're_, I notice." _Alyssa thought, and shrugged. "Wouldn't really know anything about that, sorry. Uh, I kind of asked because…" she trailed off.

Anton could have sworn he heard laughter coming from close by his left. "Yes? What is it, Alyssa?"

After a long pause she turned to him, face screwed up in embarrassment. "D-do you have any advice on how to act at these? I always end up looking like an idiot at them, and I…really don't want to tonight."

In his head, Anton did the math on precisely how long it would take for them to reach their destination, and how long tutoring someone like Alyssa in social niceties might take. It wasn't pretty.

"_But, well, you've been there before, haven't you?"_murmured the voice once more, and again, it had a point. He wondered briefly where it had come from before replying. "I suppose I could…first of all, Alyssa, you should…"

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Public Street, en route to Eastern Signal – 1840 Hours**

At that moment, as they often tend to, the same thought ran through two separate minds in the same car.

"_Well, this is awkward."_

Dwight would be the first to admit that he didn't have too much in common with most of the Bureau citizenry. It was culture shock, pure and simple. Granted, most differences between cultures on earth were languages or food, and not _magic_, but even now with his device and rank, he still couldn't quite fit in. Every time he seemed to have understood everything, something new would pop up and throw him for a loop again.

Take the kid sitting next to him, for instance. The two squads generally didn't socialize much, but he knew almost nothing about Ace, even after two months. They said he was an Artificial Mage, born and raised in a laboratory – that might explain why he seemed to be almost a blank slate outside of combat. Kid was nice, sure, but there almost seemed to be something…_missing _from him. It made him nervous, and he wouldn't have been very surprised if that were the case for Fire Squad.

"So, Ace," he said, mostly just to break the silence, "what do you think of this? Smells like a trap, to me."

The young man had been looking out the window, and turned to him as he propped up his head on one arm. "I'm not really sure, Lieutenant – I don't really think too much about fights that haven't happened yet."

Dwight shrugged, turning a corner. "No harm in that; nobody here's that much of a genius – well, maybe GD. I just wanted to hear your thoughts on it."

Ace seemed to consider this a moment, before he spoke. "It's hard to say. Those attack droids aren't _too _much of a problem, even when they outnumber me, but they're definitely better at tactics than I am. "If the Sergeant wasn't with me most of the time, there's no way I'd leave those fights as safely as I do." His face clouded over. "I'm not as smart as him."

The Lieutenant nearly laughed. "I think your standards might be a little high if you're feeling inferior to _him_, Ace."

Ace shook his head immediately. "No, no, it's not like…it's hard to explain." He lifted one finger to tap his forehead. "The person who made me, whoever it was, did something to my head. They didn't want me to talk, think, or use my hands for anything but hitting things. Whenever I try, it's just...hard to concentrate sometimes."

The car was silent for a long moment afterward. "W-what about you, Lieutenant?" Ace asked. "You don't seem to talk about yourself that often."

"There's not that much to tell, really," said Dwight casually, "Earth is nowhere near as…_interesting _as any Bureau-controlled planet, that's for sure. The toughest thing I had to deal with there was a mugger." He sighed.

"You don't like it here?"

"No, not at all." the sniper said hurriedly. "I still find it weird even after half a decade, but Bureau space is a better place to live than a lot of different ones I could name." He tapped the steering wheel idly. "The way I see it, there's plenty of guys like me back home, but only_ I_ have magic. If I can use it to help people around here, then I will – that's all."

Ace let out a whistle. "That's impressive, Lieutenant: I wish I could be that sure of myself."

Dwight smiled. "Just give it time. It comes with experience, I think."

"…nice talking to you, Lieutenant." Ace smiled.

"No problem."

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Skies Nearby Northern Signal – 1842 Hours**

"782." Arturia looked over her shoulder. "Do you see anything?"

"**Statement: I do not detect any movement or heat signatures at the present time, Lady Lackland. This may be due to our distance, or because of an outright lack of them, but I should note that this is extremely unlikely."**

Arturia nodded slightly, turning away from the Gadget Droid perched on her shoulders. "But of course: it is only common sense to assume this is a trap. Keep your sensors ready, 782. I do not think Quattro would sortie a War Armor tonight, but I feel uneasy, all the same."

GD paused for a moment to process this. **"Query: are you worried, Lady Lackland?"**

"Certainly not for us," Arturia said quickly, "but Captain Triad's conduct today shortly after the meeting alarmed me slightly. In two months, I've never seen her be so withdrawn."

With a pulse of his optic, GD tilted his spherical held to one side. **"Statement: nothing appeared amiss with the Captain to me. She seemed to be her usual self."**

"People are like the sea, 782," Arturia reprimanded lightly, "far deeper than they appear at first glance; you must remember that."

"**Affirmative: I will remember that, Lady Lackland."**

Her voice softened. "But I will admit it did surprise me as well. Perhaps the reason I noticed was because it was so unusual…she is always so upfront with her feelings, after all. If something is bothering her, it must be truly important."

GD shifted his weight a bit and looked to his knight. **"Query: are you concerned about the Captain, Lady Lackland?"**

Arturia sighed. "That you have to ask shows you do not fully understand."

"…**Statement: that does not quite resolve my query, Lady Lackland."**

The sigh was louder this time.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Streets Approaching Western Signal – 1843 Hours**

Many things rose up off the streets that night; heat, light, even trash on the wind. Joining them came a very familiar sound to all members of Section Thirteen: Daniel Trail complaining.

"Yeah, sure, don't give Daniel a lift to the damn signal; he can walk. He's _used _to it. Why, his legs are so short, it'll even be great exercise! Bunch of jerks…"

A can unfortunate enough to have been in his path got a vicious kick for it. It spun through the air, and rebounded off the wall before landing at Otavi's feet, who dutifully deposited it in a trash can before following her superior, who turned back to look at her as he continued.

"You'd think they'd at least be courteous enough to give us a lift to a total death match, wouldn't you? What the hell was the Captain thinking? Water Squad's supposed to be the support team, isn't it? We're not exactly the bruisers in it, either."

Not to his great surprise, Otavi merely shrugged, giving him one of those damn stares. Daniel scowled. "Yeah, I _know _it can't be helped. That doesn't mean I have to like it, does it?"

"She has faith in us." the girl said with a rare smile.

"…I guess." Daniel muttered. He held up Lithic, now in the shape of a gear and piston-laden shovel nearly as long as himself. It displayed a map of the city. "Anyway, we're coming up pretty close on the signal, and I wouldn't put it past him to have the whole block wired. How do you want to do this, Otavi?"

The girl stopped next to him, closing her eyes as she folded her slender arms behind her back. Daniel leaned up against the nearest wall while he waited, tapping his Device on the pavement a few times lazily. "Hey Lithic, check out the stability around here, will ya?" he suddenly asked.

"_Gotcha, chief." _the shovel said smartly before the archeologist plunged him down into the pavement up to his hilt. It didn't need to break the ground, oddly, entering it smoothly like water.

"_Good location; no faults, sinkholes or caverns detected nearby, and nothing built with shoddy materials. Residential buildings not prominent, but be careful, Chief."_

"I'm _always _careful." Daniel replied smugly.

With a simple blink, Otavi came out of her trance. "I have found a path." she said, sounding quite pleased with herself.

"Well, great." Daniel replied. "Where, pray tell?"

Wordlessly, she pointed up, right over his shoulder. He followed her finger and groaned when it lead to a fire escape. "You gotta be kidding me."

"Do you need a boost?" 

"…I'd revoke your card for that, but you'd just take 'em anyway."

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Back Alleys Toward Southern Signal – 1845 Hours**

A woman, even one who looked like Captain Jeanne Stromhold, probably shouldn't have been taking a route like this, even for business. An ordinary mugging probably wouldn't be much danger to a mage, but when the scales went up this high you certainly didn't want to be the one holding the short straw. Besides, why bring trouble you didn't need?

Jeanne wasn't like Alyssa; she didn't get off on causing trouble. Trouble always seemed to enjoy _her _company, no matter where she was. So it didn't really matter if she took the alleys or the street. The city would lash out at her either way. But she'd survived enough disasters, both foreseen and sudden, to satisfy ten rookies at this point. There was nothing more dangerous nearby than herself: and this was _her _city.

She heard the steadying footsteps and rapid breath several moments before the mugger leaped out, gun raised jerkily. "H-hand over all your money, right now, or, or – ugh!"

The 'ugh' was due to Jeanne seizing the weapon in one hand, forcing it upward, squeezing tightly, and then punching him in the chest hard.

The kid – and he was one, yes, even if he tried to hide it – doubled over gasping, forgetting the weapon in his hand. Good: mass weapons were dangerous, but never more-so than in the hands of someone like this. She shifted her grip, loosening his hand from the gun and cupping the latter entirely.

Water then filled the space between her fingers, forming a tight ball that squeezed down with a deep, localized pressure. There came a load crunch. The youth stared at the crumpled hunk of metal in his grasp when Jeanne pulled her hand away.

"Go get a refund, kid; the thing's defective." she said, shoving him back into the wall as she walked past. "Get back home, or wherever you live – things are gonna get ugly tonight."

Yep. Nothing worse than herself.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Angelo Corporation Entertainment Hall – 1848 Hours**

"…and you also shouldn't use jokes that begin with 'what did the Saint Church Priest say to the Ground Forces Sergeant?'. Or pick your teeth with…well, just don't pick your teeth at all."

Anton had been guessing with quite a few of these points so far, but, honestly, he hadn't gotten one wrong yet. Or Alyssa was just too polite to say so – probability and personal experience spoke otherwise about _that_.

"Think we're here, if you two wanna finish up the Miss Etiquette course." said Destin from in-between them, apparently thinking looking at his feet could hide his snickering.

"Oh," Anton frowned, "I wish we had a bit more time, actually."

Alyssa snorted. "Gee, _thanks_."

The secretary choked. "Uh, that is, I only meant-"

Laughing, his captain gave him a noogie. "Man, you're fun to tease. Relax; I'm grateful, really."

Frowning a bit, she folded her arms as the limousine pulled in. "I might have to give _you_ some advice on that stick up your ass later, actually. You don't have to always be worried about what other people think. _I'm _not."

"R-really?" Anton replied. He'd…never really thought about it before.

"Yeah, really." Alyssa said simply, leaning across and opening before climbing out.

Anton watched her for a moment. "…she's going to forget what I just said right away, isn't she?"

"Yep."

He sighed. "Why did she ask, then?"

Destin tapped him on the shoulder. "That, my boy, is a riddle for you. Let me know if you, heh, figure it out."

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Angelo Corporation Ballroom – 1850 Hours**

"_All the sheep gathered into one room at one time. You can practically feel the lack of brain cells."_

Indeed, if someone tosses a grenade into the room now, they'd decimate a good eighty-to-ninety percent of the world's 'cultural elite'. With nary a person blaming him, he added reverentially. But what would be the point of that? You had to have people who looked up to you, schmoozed to you…envied you. There were a few other perks to becoming successful, but none more satisfying.

From his seat at the back of the room, Quattro could see the guests coming in. Sipping his wine, his eyes narrowed as he watched Destin, Alyssa and Anton enter and be escorted to their table. _"The boy from yesterday? Interesting, Destin: did he attract your attention that much?"_

He smiled. _"I suppose I will have to keep a close eye on him, too, then."_

Suddenly, the man's cell phone began to buzz. Clicking it open, Quattro listened to Barnes on the other end.

"_Boss, the guys at North and East just had their traps sprung. That knight and the droid at north, _Jacobs _and the martial artist for east."_

Quattro nodded. "I suppose they had to fudge it a bit with their deployment, thanks to me. A shame. If only I could watch – ah well. Keep me posted, Barnes, especially if Captain Stromhold appears. I'm very interested to see what she can do alone."

Standing up, he lifted his fork and tapped on the goblet before him. "Ladies and Gentlemen, may I have your attention?"

Naturally, they gave it – who would dare to bring the implications that would come from ignoring _him_? – while he spoke. "My friends, we are here today for an evening of pleasure and relaxation. But that might not have been possible had it not been for Section Thirteen's quick actions yesterday, saving the city yet again. I propose some applause, although of course, that is nowhere near a sufficient reward."

Sure enough, they clapped. The sound was music to his ears. Certainly more than how the Major and his friends viewed it: he could see the other man's mouth move into a cracked smile even from here.

"_I do so love my job."_

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Northern Signal – 1848 Hours**

"Quit moving, you wise guy!"

"**Rebuttal: I may consider it, proved you discard your weapon."**

Like any reputable criminal organization, Quattro had a plethora of…'odd jobbers', as he might call them, to attend to dirty work he simply didn't have the time for. Most of them were mages, or if not, skilled in a field he took interest in. Like many worlds in the Bureau's territory, Gardius was a melting pot, and coincidentally, all of the men picked from Quattro's employ had been 'inspired' from certain outside elements.

'Tricky Fingers' Nelson was one of them. He'd gotten the idea for his 'career' from several ancient masterpieces he had acquired through various channels over the years. He knew their names by heart: 'Goodfellas', 'Casino', 'The Untouchables' (he didn't much like the ending of that last one, though). These guys were the coolest of the cool, the flyest daddy-os ever. Who wouldn't want to have that same style? With all this stuff about them, there were probably hundreds of followers on…what was it? Zearth? Didn't matter. The point was, _he _was the coolest, and he'd prove that to the boss tonight.

Assuming he could manage to hit this piece of scrap metal, that is. He wasn't no Bureau monkey, but he knew these Gadget guys couldn't block repeated shots, so one focused burst should do him in. But it seemed like no matter how much lead (okay, projectile spells, but it was still _spiritually _lead) he shot from his tommy gun Device, or where they were aimed at, the droid managed to be somewhere else, without any obvious effort on its part.

This was because GD had a good understanding of what he represented to any mage: a threat. Even if he was on the side of the Bureau now, he still found himself a high priority target among enemy magic-users, and ones well-versed in combating AMF defenses. Much like his Type 1 brothers, he would only last one shot that got through. Two, if he were lucky.

For obvious reasons, this was deemed unacceptable, and precisely for that reason did GD request his new body. Going the route of the well-armored Type 3s seemed tempting at first, but a focused barrage would still likely spell his demise. The most preferable path was to ensure the field never had to come into play: a more fragile, yet faster form was the most logical solution.

Although, 'faster' was probably not the correct word. Numerous mages could outstrip the Gadget Droid in speed, especially since he could no longer fly. What he was was _mobile_: due to his mechanical form, and the extendable limbs every Type had, GD could contort his limbs in any number of ways to avoid attacks. Some were easier than others, however.

Whirling around as GD leaped over his head, Nelson let loose a flurry of orange-coned bullets from the barrel of his gun. In theory it should have been impossible to dodge them all in mid-air. In _reality _GD's body curled and twisted in manners a figure skater would have been envious of, avoiding every one.

Landing on his feet, the Sergeant spun around and dashed toward the man, claws outstretched. Nelson gulped at this, but quickly unleashed the spell he'd prepared in his off hand, throwing it to the ground in-between them. It was little more than packed in energy made to cause a large bang when it hit something, but it still forced GD to step back lest it overload his vision.

When the blast dissipated, not to his great surprise, the suspect was gone. There were a bevy of places to hide in this location, a small area flanked by several buildings. Turning slowly, GD lifted his claws and prepared himself for a surprise attack – when a loud crash caught his attention. Turning toward the north half of the square, he flinched. **"Lady Lackland!"**

If there was one thing you could count on Quattro's men for, it wasn't a fair fight. To defend this location, and certainly the others, Nelson had brought along a contingent of the attack droids Section Thirteen was used to fighting…along with a few in a slightly new shape..

These ones were a bit bulkier than their spindly brothers, with wide limbs, broad shoulders, and a roundish head. Around their hands and feet were durable looking, two-pronged gauntlets or greaves which occasionally gave off a spark of electricity into the air, rather than the far less harmless target of the two officers' bodies. The whole arrangement was very familiar to them, but any potential implications about it would have to wait.

Arturia had been spent spiraling down to the pavement from her position hovering a few feet overhead by a jumping kick by one of them. There were three, and as GD watched, one of the others came dashing in from the rear, lifting its foot for a deadly axe kick.

Dazed though she was, the girl flung out her hand. A single-strand bind leapt from a nearby sigil that burst into life, wrapping around the leg still on the ground and pulling. It didn't knock the robot over, unfortunately; it quickly flung out its arms, balancing in a hand-stand before leaping away. Arturia got to her feet while the other two melee types leaped aside to give the original models the chance to tag her barrier more than a few times before she returned to the air.

"_782, how are you faring?" _she asked as the Gadget Droid approached, the Boltheads splitting up to deal with them. The regular models split into two equal groups, but two of the 'Boxers' went for Arturia, leaving GD for the nearby lone one. Logically, this made sense, given that the former had shown herself to be a greater threat so far. Not for the first time, GD was thankful he no longer had to think that way.

"_**Statement: well enough, Lady Lackland. The suspect appears to have fled, but the signal shows no signs of disappearing. If it is at this location, perhaps it is too large to move?" **_

"_Many are. But do not let your guard down; these constructs are indeed stronger than before."_

"_**Affirmative: I will not be careless, Lady Lackland - do not worry."**_

"_Did I sound such? I apologize for misleading you."_

Crouching lower to the ground, GD resumed his dash, dodging and flipping from one side to the other to avoid their fire. Tensing itself – a rather surreal motion, coming from a machine – the Boxer threw itself into a lunging hook aimed at GD's chest, the gauntlet's prongs sparking with electricity. A smarter decision than he would have expected from it, but it did not make a significant difference.

Knees suddenly buckling, GD seemed to collapse wholly in mid-run, the punch whirring over his head as he fell. Before he met the pavement, however, both his hands flung up and wrapped around the outstretched metal arm. This move seemed not to surprise it, as it quickly pulled back the other to remove the obstruction (and displace it several feet down the road).

Shoving his lightweight form backward using the arm as a balance beam, GD flipped himself up to the top of the arm in a hand-stand. This, too, didn't seem to perturb the Boxer much, only switching the direction of its punch. So it was just as well that GD's legs spun around at that moment, kicking the other robot in the back of the head twice.

As it pitched forward, he leaped off in a backflip, righting himself in mid-air and staring at the Boxer's back carefully. In his electronic vision, a space near the center was illuminated by a crosshair.

"**Analysis: weak point in barrier detected, piercing through. AS: Launcher Arm."**

The glow present on GD's right claw intensified, and a small piston present in that arm slammed forward, sending the tentacle extension on his arm rocketing forward like a gunshot at the Boxer's unprotected back.

At least, seemingly unprotected. GD would freely admit that he had miscalculated after the Boxer has suddenly righted its askew leg, the prongs on both greaves suddenly sparking in unison along with those on the gauntlets. A large burst of electricity loosed through the attack droid and out in the form of a focused shockwave of thunder all around it. This was enough to knock the assailing claw away quickly, anti-magic or no.

Before it could retract all the way, however, the Boxer reached out and snapped a hand around the tubing. GD couldn't feel panic, but he understood his body perfectly, and this was hardly ideal: the Type I and III's extendable arms were designed for offense, not defense, and this aspect had not changed due to his remodeling. A clean hit while any of them were stretched out could easily sever the hand or foot.

Thankfully, the Boxer decided not to do that, but what it chose instead wasn't exactly nice either. Noticing that he was starting to descend from his leap, it added another hand to its grip and, in one strong throw, hurled him at the nearest wall. It then turned to the other models and pointed at his form in mid-flight. They instantly got the message, firing enough bolts of magic to demolish a small building.

"_**Fascinating; the unique models can issue orders to more mundane ones." **_The more GD fought against these robots, the more he became (somewhat painfully) aware that they outstripped the Gadget Droids in nearly every conceivable way. It was quite admirable, and a shame that they had to fight this particular one.

Shortly after he made this observation, GD hit the wall.

Hearing this from over her shoulder, Arturia frowned. _"Even laying a hand on GD is no mean feat. These droids attack with lightning, and simulate Strike Arts remarkably well – their resemblance to the Corporal is certainly no coincidence. Have we all been copied in some way?"_

She frowned, ducking under a cross punch from one of the Boxers, and then using the flat of Frangir's blade to stop a spinning kick. Sparring with Ace was usually not a great problem, due to his general lack of finesse, but whoever built these units had compensated for his weaknesses at least somewhat. They made sure to attack two at a time, and always took advantage of her claymore's long length and its cumbersomeness at their ideal distance. She needed a broad swing to properly damage these enemies, and they knew enough not to let her have one. Their keeping her movement confined also allowed their comrades to shoot her without retaliation; they were only as bothersome as mere insects alone, but would have to be dealt with eventually. She could take to the air easily…but she would not. If a Verum Knight could not defeat opponents like these on even ground, then they did not deserve to bear the title.

Still, there were ways to combat such tactics. "Frangir, I require a shield. **Divinus-**"

"_**Contego."**_

Arturia outstretched one hand as a large circle of light quickly traced itself into being in the air, becoming a solid barrier marked with the House of Verum's cross. A strap formed from the light magic next, reaching from the top edge to the bottom. Moving her arm into the space, she held the shield out in front of her. "Sword and shield – you have forced me to use both. Cherish that feat in whatever place things like you go to!"

Ignoring her taunt, the two Boxers leaped away in separate directions. This spell was not in their current databanks, but the side-effect it held was blatantly obvious. A claymore, even one that was also a Device, was a sword meant for use with both hands. The disadvantages of switching one to a shield would more than outweigh any defensive gains. Attacking from multiple angles would still be a sufficient tactic.

Once they were out of range of friendly fire, the other units opened fire. None of the shots were sufficient alone to break the mage's shields, but the pressure upon her was clear. Then, like clockwork, the two droids leaped, one aiming for Arturia's left shoulder-bone with a kick, the other punching low toward her gut. According to their calculations, evasion was-

"Frangir, Gladius Form!" Arturia barked.

"_Sic."_

The sword Device's blade quickly folded up and retracted back into the hilt, shrinking into a short sword – one that Arturia quickly thrust into the lower chest area of the first Boxer. As it fell backward, sparks flying from the wound, she swept the shield backward, scattering the second to the pavement as well.

While the two droids struggled to rise, Arturia lifted the shield up across her face and pointed the blade at the crowd of normal types now peppering her with shots. **"Animus…TELUM!"**

At the stab, several large spears of light were called into being, launching themselves into the crowd of attack droids. Most leaped aside, but some were ripped into by the magical blades, and shortly detonated from the damage. Seeing this, the droids from the southern area took aim.

"**Query: have you forgotten you are engaged with me?"**

The droids whirled around and lowered their guns, but far too late. GD shimmered into being from out of thin air, plunging his claws into the two nearest droid's chests. **"Statement: I will remind you of that fact now, then." **The glow coating his hands grew as GD ripped them straight out through the other robot's sides. **"AS: AMF Bolt."**

The glow left his hands in a flurry of eight energy bolts each the same size and shape of one of his fingers, many of which ripped through the normal type's armor easily. They fell to the ground, deactivated – GD quickly leaped away before they exploded. The corporal could (and _had_, several times) sustain numerous explosions and come out unharmed, but he was…somewhat less durable.

Landing, he noticed a burst of light out of his peripheral vision. Gathering more AMF Energy into his claws, GD swivelled and slashed out with both of his claws at the ball of electricity the Boxer had hurled toward him. As the two swings collided with it, the sphere lost its luminosity, along with apparently a great deal of its explosive force; when GD side-stepped deftly around it, it burst with a small, pitiful bang.

"**Statement: I will freely admit you models are skilled at gathering data," **GD said calmly, facing down the Boxer, **"but for your own safety, do not assume I am identical to the others."**

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Eastern Signal – 1848 Hours**

"…_wow."_

Dwight would freely admit he knew almost nothing about hand to hand fighting, or at least the kind you _didn't _do in alley-ways with whatever you had on hand at the time. But he could tell just watching Ace through the scope of his rifle that this was someone skilled.

The corporal was currently engaged with another new model of the attack droids, and Dwight had a feeling a certain other lieutenant would have blown her gasket if she'd been sent here. They'd clearly been designed after knights, their already black armor lending itself well to the motif, along with a helm through which their visor eyes glowed, and durable looking arm-guards.

Oh, and there were also the six-foot long broadswords they'd been trying to garrote him with for the last minute or so. Both of the edges were glowing with a light that was very familiar to both officers.

"_Lieutenant Lackland isn't going to be happy when she finds out about this!" _transmitted Ace as he stopped a downward swing in-between Bolt's gauntlets, and then threw the blade off to the side in time to leap away from a chopping sweep. As with the Boxers, there were only three of the Knights, but that was enough to pin him down – from what Dwight had heard, Ace needed charging time for most of his big spells, and that was time they weren't willing to give him.

Ordinarily a sniper would be perfect for a situation like this. But…Dwight loosed a shot from Gates' barrel (only one; he'd never quite got the hang of creating multiple shots) toward the nearest Knight. It quickly turned, raised its arm, and projected a crackling barrier in the shape of a buckler from the appropriate arm-guard. The shot clashed against it, and dissipated without a scratch on the robot's armor.

He frowned. His projectile spells weren't designed specifically with force in mind, but he had a feeling even the Fire Squad members would have a hard time damaging these guys. Ace had landed a few hits past the shields, and barely left a dent. _"They're definitely based on Arturia, and she's shrugged off direct hits from missiles more than once. This could get tricky…"_

At least the battlefield was in their favor. The signal had been coming from the top of a skyscraper surrounded by several adjacent ones taller than it. Dwight had set up a barrier, just in case, before teleporting them both up. So far the only hostiles were these three – Dwight had been watching out for any ambushes, but there didn't seem to be anyone else on the rooftops other than them and the droids.

He'd made sure to put himself behind the stairs, not to mention set up a little surprise for anyone who tried to attack from the air. When the inevitable came, they wouldn't catch him with his pants down.

Dwight watched as Ace gathered lightning in his right hand, dodged another sword-stroke, and swung his fist forward in a mighty punch. **"Spark Knuckle!"**

In response, the Knight shoved its shoulder forward, activating the shield preemptively as it readied the broadsword. Its intent was clear: knock the young martial artist off balance, and then cleave him in two.

This didn't quite pan out. After mere moments of the warring powers, the arm-guard's barrier was burst, the part breaking off along with a significant chunk of the Knights' arm. It went tumbling backward as Ace rolled away from two quick slices courtesy of its brothers. That was the thing about Ace, Dwight had noticed. He certainly had some skill, and a lot of power, but something about the way he fought-

"_Like a steam-roller." _the Sniper realized suddenly. They were great for crushing things, but horrible at any precision work. That seemed to be Ace in a nutshell.

But Dwight didn't have time to muse on the merits of a particular style of martial arts for long, as a strange sound reached his honed ears from nearby. Something like grinding, or breaking, and it was happening very quickly.

Just as the roof crumbled underneath him, he realized exactly what it was.

His Barrier Jacket – a black jacket and pants that bore more than a little resemblance to his old SWAT uniform – absorbed most of the impact, but he was still dazed when he hit the floor below. It could have been worse; he landed just to the left of a table's worth of computers. Barrier or no, bursting one of them with the fall would have hurt. Not to mention the significant chunk of the roof that had fallen in along with him.

"Well, well, well," said a voice from within the shadows and the kicked up dust, emphasizing every word, "look what the droids dragged in: Dwight Jacobs. Was I blessed when I awoke this morning?"

Dwight groaned slightly, mostly at the man's voice than the pain, but the slight asian man peering at him from behind designer shades would probably think otherwise. Most of Barnes' (Quattro's, technically, but it was the same thing, really) goons wouldn't, actually.

"Dwight Jacobs." repeated the man, toying with a set of Sais in his hands. Behind him, droids approached from out of the gloom – smaller than the other models, their weapons were a rock drill and a pick-axe, respectively. No medal for guessing what had happened to the roof. "Trying to piss off the boss again, huh? He'll be pretty pleased when I drag him in front of you, I'm sure. In a body-bag, a box, a wet sack…there's so many ways, now that I come to think of it."

He flipped one of the sais up a bit, and caught it on the way back down just as Dwight was rising to his feet. He dove out of the way of the bolt of magic, landing sprawled behind the desk as it wiped out three monitors. "You'll excuse me if I pick none of the above, I hope, Riki."

The other man frowned. "Thanks for reminding me to staple your lips shut. You could still be a smart ass no matter how I bring you in." He motioned to the droids flanking him, and they moved forward. "And make no mistake: I _will _be bringing you in. You're worth at least two promotions."

As the metallic footsteps of the droids approached from both sides, Dwight frowned. _"This is shaping up to be a great night."_

"_Lieutenant! Lieutenenat, are you alright?" _Came the Corporal's concerned voice in his head. It was filled with effort, no doubt from his current battle.

"_Yeah, Ace, I'm fine,"_Dwight thought back, and winced, _"shook up, but alright. What about you? Can you handle those three without cover?"_

Ace's voice sounded confident. _"No problem, Lieute-"_, he suddenly grunted, _"well, maybe a bit of a problem, but I'll take care of them and come help you quick!"_

Dwight shook his head, shifting his grip on Gates. The rifle was currently projecting a small, three-dimensional map of the room. _"Nah, take your time. These guys won't be much trouble."_

"_A-are you sure?" _Ace's voice sounded unsure. _"Well, alright, if you say so – these guys aren't going to stop me, either!"_

"_Okay then, I'm out. Good luck." _Dwight cut off the telepathy, a plan already forming in his mind. He didn't know Riki very well outside of them trying to arrest and kill each-other, respectively, but now he knew that he wasn't a long-term thinker. Barnes, for example, might have thought twice before bringing a sniper into an area with so many blind-spots, _and _at night.

Riki's eyed widened as Dwight leaped up from behind the desk and fired in the direction of one of the Digger droids. It ducked and dashed forward, plunging the whirling drill through the Lieutenant's shields, his jacket, and into his chest. He screamed as blood gushed from the wound…and then burst into a cloud of blackish gas that swept out to obscure the desk and surrounding areas. As Riki stepped back away from it (you could never tell with magic), he heard the sound of quick footsteps from within. "Dammit. Get him, you idiots."

Oblivious to the hypocrisy of yelling at droids for not doing something when they did everything you told them to and nothing more, the Diggers ran forward into the gloomy smoke. Fortunately they at least had the sense to spread out while they approached – an environment like this might have given a mage a bevy of places to hide, but it would also leave him cornered when they inevitably caught him.

Riki waited, toying with one sai, while the seconds slowly ticked by. After a few moments the sound of a drill started up, and he swiveled toward it like an owl, both halves of his Device raised. There came a bright flash of a magic sigil from within the cloud, and he fired. The next sound to come from the smoke-cloud was a crackle of broken electricity, and it cleared just enough for him to see he'd shot one of the Diggers, held up by a bind, right in the chest. It fell to the ground, smoking.

Gritting his teeth, the criminal looked around. All-around him were the sounds of the droids searching for Dwight, and suddenly it seemed like their clanking and whirring had grown ten times louder. Certainly louder than a normal human. "All of you, stop moving. Now."

He had good ears, if nothing else. Riki listened carefully for something, anyth-

Whirling around, he let loose a pair of magic bolts from the tips of the blades into the gloom. He wasn't sure how Dwight had gotten behind him, but he wouldn't get slip away again. More care probably should have been taken with that assumption.

A gunshot ran out from right behind him, and Riki was nearly tripped up by a Digger sliding back into him on its back. A cluster of the Lieutenant's traditional bullet spells were lodged in its chest, along with a small…orb…

"_Oh no."_

He managed to shut his mouth before the second smoke screen activated, replacing what had dissipated and obscuring the area around him almost completely. Riki spun around, trying to keep his heart rate down, and ignore an idea that was naggling at him now: maybe instead of him cornering Dwight, he'd just brought him closer to him.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Skyscraper Rooftop – 1851 Hours**

No sooner did Ace disengage his telepathy with Dwight that one of the Knight droids smacked him in the back of the head with the butt of its sword, breaking his concentration and the barrier he'd prepared for its friend, which was now poised to chop him in two.

"You guys are really…" Ace thrust out with one hand, catching the blade on the back of Bolt's gauntlet, then kicked out to stop a sweep that would have had his legs sliced out from under him, "starting to…" Electricity built up in both his gauntlets before expelling itself in a wide, aimless burst of force. "TICK ME OFF!" It wasn't anything special, but it did what Ace had intended it for, knocking both Knights away from him. Seizing the opportunity, he lunged forward and grabbed onto the arm of the one in front of him.

Turning, he hurled the off-balance droid right off its feet and toward the other, who had just begun charging him. They crashed together, landing in a heap near the edge of the rooftop.

Clenching his fists, Ace ran toward them, ready to push them the rest of the way. But the third one leaped in the way, shifting its grip on the broadsword toward the bottom end of the hilt. The pilfered light magic's glow grew stronger.

Ace kept running. "Sorry, but that's not going to be enough!"

Not being programmed to register taunts, the Knight ignored him, pulling back its blade as it shifted its stance. When Ace came near, bent low and dove forward, it reacted with lightning speed, thrusting the blade at his left side.

As the blade ripped through his auto-barrier, past his armor and into his left shoulder, Ace reflected that Lieutenant Lackland had probably been holding back a bit in their sparring sessions. Then he was pushing past the blade and behind the Knight's arm guards. He pulled back both fists. **"Lightning!" **Bolt growled out.

"**RUUUSH!" **Ace finished, the very element in question building up around his gauntlets as he punched rapidly, changing his hands into glowing blurs. By the fifth punch, the sword had been jarred from the Knight's hand and spent skimming across the rooftop and out of sight. Around the tenth, its armor gave way with a nasty tearing noise. At the fifteenth and twentieth, well…the Corporal went a little overboard sometimes.

Circuit-less electricity pouring from its wound, the droid stumbled backward, toward its brethren – who lunged forward, activating their arm shields and sending the knight flying back in the other direction. Ace's eyes widened as it came toward him, shortly before the weapon exploded.

The Knights immediately spread apart, keeping their swords at the ready. Several other members of this group of mages would have been incapacitated one way or another or badly wounded, but one of the Administrators had given special protocol for _this _one.

Footsteps echoed on the rooftop a moment later: the protocol had been accurate, it seemed. Ace cracked his knuckles hard enough for them to hear it underneath the gauntlets. "Not bad, but you're going to have to step it up a bit, guys." He grinned. "Which one of you wants to be next?"

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Streets Near Angelo Corporation Ballroom – 1855 Hours**

Weather fluctuations were nothing new on Planet Gardius, and extremely so lately, but anyone out and about near the festivities that evening would be surprised to find a sudden cold-snap make them shiver. Odd; with the heat-wave going on, even midnight was uncomfortably warm. Oh well. The coldness passed quickly enough, and they were free to continue that night's business.

After all, it was probably nothing.

"_This is the place she said it would be…yes. I feel her."_

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Angelo Corporation Ballroom – 1856 Hours**

Quattro's cell-phone buzzed again, and he put it to his ear to hear Katie sounding _very _pleased. _"Mister Quattro, he's almost here. Hmph; he looks just like I remember him, all those years ago…"_

He smiled. "Ah, excellent! I've been very much looking forward to meeting the young man since you mentioned him, especially if he's as strong as you say."

"_Shall I tell the guards to let him in, sir?"_

"Hmmmm…no, I think I'll let it be a surprise. Besides, I'd like to see how he makes an entrance."

"_Hee hee, alright then, Mister Quattro. I'll just get ready myself, if you'll excuse me."_

The executive nodded. "Of course – good luck!" He snapped the cell phone closed, and looked over to the Section Thirteen Mage's table.

His gaze was met by the shaded eyes of Major Destin. "Don't take this like it's set in stone, guys, but things might be getting started soon." he spoke out of the side of his mouth to his dinner-mates while he took another bite of…whatever this was.

Anton nodded. "Alright, Major, if you think so."

"It better happen quick," Alyssa muttered from next to them, "If I have to sit watching these idiots gawk at me for one minute longer, I'd-"

The Fire Squad Captain was someone who often voiced her wishes, and typically immature ones, but usually just to put them out there. She didn't actually expect it to happen. So it came as something of a shock when the entire front wall of the building exploded.

The first sensation those within felt, even before they saw what had caused it, was the cold: a complete lack of heat that ran down their spines and bit at their flesh. Chilly winds rushed in from outside, accompanied by driving snow and ice crystals that obscured everything. It was like a miniature ice age had suddenly popped up, changing the unpleasant temperature to its complete opposite.

And through it all a figure walked into the hall, utterly ignoring the terrible weather. Taller than most people there, his hair was a deep-blue, and his hawkish eyes were nearly white. This color-scheme was shared by his Barrier Jacket, which seemed based off of eastern earth armor. Hung in a sheath at his belt was a katana; unmistakably a Device.

His gaze swept the room – people shivering as the steely eyes met theirs for but a moment – until it lay on one table in particular. He drew the blade and pointed. "Alyssa."

Anton tore his eyes away from the man and to his captain. She looked like she'd seen a ghost.

"Glenn…"

_To be continued…_

_Who is this mysterious man? What exactly does Katie have in mind for Alyssa, and how will Anton affect it? Will Jeanne, Daniel and Otavi be alright with their battles? Find the answers to these questions in the next chapter, Family Reunion._

…_well, that may have spoiled the first one. Oh well._

GeshronTyler – Oh, I dunno: Alyssa would probably disagree with you there, heh. And I dunno if I answered your question this chapter, but hey, maybe I gave you another question? That's always the mark of a good author, isn't it?

Kireas – No problem. I sometimes get that way myself late at night. And yeah, I only _just _noticed I forgot to bold those lines, thanks. GD's dialogue is sort of based on HK-47's from KOTOR, or the Elcor from Mass Effect: his speech can't really convey emotion that well, so he prefaces it with what he means or what he's talking about. And yeah, I did interpret the AMF Generators double-dutying as shields, since that's sort of what they used them for in StrikerS. They're not that well defined, really, since they're just mooks. Hope I could answer some of your questions well.

Until next time, see you readers.


	5. Family Reunion

**Section Thirteen**

**Chapter Five: Family Reunion**

**Planet Gardius – Angelo Corporation Ballroom – 1856 Hours**

For the next few seconds, Alyssa stared at the man pointing the blade at her, wide-eyed and opened mouthed. "Glenn…you…"

Anton couldn't help but stare. From the moment he had met Captain Triad, it was clear she was a bold, confident woman. Seeing her shaken like this couldn't help but surprise him.

But fortunately-

"YOU BASTAAAAAARD!"

-it didn't last very long. Leaping out of her chair, Alyssa charged the man head-on, activating her Device mid-run. The scarlet dress disappeared to be replaced by her Barrier Jacket, and she swung Bowie's point forward, expelling a formless blast of heat. In response, Glenn swung his own weapon around, ice crystals lining the katana's blade as they clashed together.

Anton shut his eyes: the contrast between the two colors of warring magic was far too brilliant to view head-on. When it faded and he looked back, the two mages hadn't budged an inch. The carpet for several feet around them (which, fortunately, didn't contain any of the tables) was a bizarre pattern of scorched and frozen. The spear and katana were deadlocked, and neither combatant showed signs of moving despite the obvious struggle.

"I see not even working for the Bureau can make you grow lax," the man with the icy eyes said, gaze locked upon her, "Alyssa."

"Shut up!" Alyssa snarled back, pressing forward and making no headway, which only seemed to make her angrier. "Don't just act like it's the next day; where the hell WERE you!"

The cold leaking in from outside had nothing to with the shiver that ran up Anton's spine. He'd never seen Alyssa _angry _before, either. It was scary. He turned to the only person who might now something about this. "Major, what's-"

Destin held up a finger to his lips to shush the Secretary. "Just watch. It'll be a good lesson for you: this is how Aces battle."

Silently, Anton nodded, looking back. Alyssa and Glenn had detached from their deadlock and were now sizing each-other up. After a few oppressive moments, the latter nudged his head toward the broken doorway a fraction of an inch. She nodded grimly, and they both took to the air, disappearing from view quickly.

Anton stared at the absent floor stupidly for a moment. "Uh…" He looked around, but the whole crowd was staring blankly at the same. Shrugging, he picked up Akashic off the floor near his chair. "I suppose we're flying then, eh?"

"_Don't ask me, Young Master." _Akashic admonished lightly. Sighing, he activated his own jacket in a burst of wind and followed.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Skies Above Angelo Corporation Ballroom – 1857 Hours**

By the time Anton ascended to where Alyssa and this mystery man was, they were both already just about to attack. He couldn't help but shiver again: the mana pouring off them was nearly palpable. Subconsciously, he gathered up his own power-

"_Anton. Stay out of this." _Alyssa's voice resonated in his mind. Her tone said very clear that any interruption wouldn't be tolerated.

He gulped. _"Y-yes, Captain, I'll make sure."_

Twirling her spear over her head, she called over to Glenn, "So I guess this isn't going to be a happy get-together, huh? I see you haven't gotten over that samurai 'absolute honor' shit, so I know what you're here for."

"Of course." Glenn replied, shifting his grip on the katana. "I and Koshiro have not given up on our duel. The TSAB interrupted the day of our promised duel, but today we will settle the question: who is the strongest of the Triad's children?"

Alyssa smirked, stopping the twirl and tapping Bowie's shaft on the palm of her hand. "Well then, you'll be warming up to them after I'm done with you: they spared you _years _of humiliation, after all!"

"_Beatdown time, katana boy!" _her device crowed.

Glenn's eyes narrowed. "Yes…I've been waiting for the chance to wipe that attitude off with my blade. Prepare yourself."

"Same here," Alyssa replied coolly, "now that dad's not here to save your ass, I'm gonna beat that samurai-wannabe stuff right now! Let's go!"

"**Flare Move!"**

What happened next was similar to a flash move, but apparently with Alyssa's personal spin on it: her body lined with an aura of flame, she shot straight toward Alyssa, the heat blurring making Anton's eyes water slightly.

Her opponent reacted in only one way – with three spoken words. "Koshiro. **Frost Wall**."

"_Hai." _the Katana whispered as Glenn brought it in front of him. A shield of ice grew along the blade, stopping the spear the instant its blade touched it. The ice quickly engulfed Bowie's shaft, dispelling the heat as it climbed steadily upward.

"Oh no you don't!" Alyssa cried, pulling her free hand back. **"Flare Smasher!"**

The short range blast of fire left her palm and headed straight toward his face, but Glenn quickly brought his own hand, coated with ice, in front of. The attack was extinguished nearly instantly, but that moment of distraction was enough for Alyssa to free her Device and retreat upward. Her brother followed her path, shifting his grip on Koshiro as he watched her silently.

Alyssa clenched her teeth at the sight. _"Go ahead and act as cold as you want, Glenn: it didn't rattle me back then, and it won't know." _Twirling her spear in her hands, she jabbed it down toward the samurai. "I guess you remember how I fight close quarters, huh! Let's see if you these jog your memory, too! **Crimson Arrow!**"

Glenn continued to watch as a half-dozen shafts of fire came hurtling down at him. "I do. I remember how you used to hit me in the back with one I didn't notice," he pulled back the katana, "and then laugh about it. **Hail Cutter.**"

Ice again formed on the sword's blade, in sharp-looking, spiky chunks. Slicing upward once, twice, thrice, he sent a storm of the ice spikes flying up toward the fire mage. The two barrages of bullets meet halfway between their senders, and the combination of the opposing elements sent up an explosion of steam up to cloud the air, growing to engulf the two fighters.

Silently, Glenn withdrew his extended sword, watching the obscuration around him silently. Then, without skipping a beat, he whirled around to parry a back-stab from Alyssa.

"You will have to do better than that," he said calmly, "if your intent is to defeat me."

"I thought I told you to shut the hell up!"

Anton gulped, hearing the venom in his commander's voice. _"Aren't they related? How can they hate each-other like this?" _Not that he was any stranger to awkward family business, but why was a reunion starting off with a _deathmatch_? His mind wanted to step in, do something about it, but his body stood rooted to thin air. He had a very good feeling that Alyssa wouldn't forgive anyone who interfered in this fight; not even someone on her own side.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Angelo Corporation Ballroom – 1901 Hours**

"You know, I think that snow actually improved this dish a little." Destin looked around at the varying looks he got from that comment. "No? Guess I have different tastes, then."

Munching on the…whatever-they-weres, Destin listened to the footsteps approaching his table. He looked up and smiled. "Oh, hey Quattro. What's up?"

The executive beamed. "Well, your men, evidently, ha ha." Instantly the surrounding party-goers broke into laughter.

Destin nodded. "Yeah, seems like it. I gotta apologize on Alyss's behalf: I had no idea _this _would happen. It's almost like that guy new we were going to be here tonight, or something?"

Quattro took on a look of mock horror. "Oh my, not at all, Major! As you said, this is a horrible coincidence: why, if someone were to attempt to kill _me _while I was dining at your abode, I wouldn't even think of apologizing."

"Of course not." Destin grinned. "You're just not that kind of guy."

By this time the onlookers had assumed the sight to be nothing more than two old friends having a few jabs at the other, and tuned it out in both sight and sound. Even if they were looking, though, they'd have missed the eyes.

"_If you think this any scheme of yours is going to kill Alyssa, or any of my team, you're going to be sadly mistaken, Quattro." _said Destin's, which had suddenly grown a lot more narrow.

Quattro's simply looked more amused. _"Oh? You think you know _exactly_ what I have planned here? I'll look forward to the moment when you actually realize it, Major."_

With that, he turned and walked away. Midway back to his table, the man's cell-phone rang. Smiling, he flipped it open. "Yes?"

"_Boss, you remember you wanted me to tell you if Captain Stromhold showed up?" _Barnes' voice sounded subdued.

"Yeees, I believe I did," Quattro replied, finding he was adopting the same tone, "tell me, that young hot-shot named…Smash, I think, was there, wasn't he? How bad is it?"

"_Crash, actually, Boss. And, uh…well, pretty bad, not gonna lie. That whole perimeter looks like a tidal wave hit it."_

"My word."

"_Yeah, that's probably along the lines of what Crash thought. On the other hand, that insurance you put there seems to be keeping her busy for now. Same for the guys at the other sites. Those other two from Water Squad haven't engaged yet, though – maybe we'll actually win there, who knows?"_

Quattro shrugged. "That would certainly be nice…so it probably won't happen. Keep me posted, Barnes."

Switching off the call, he quickly dialed a number of his own. "Katie, how are-" he said.

The girl sounded very amused with herself. _"They haven't progressed much beyond the opening posturing, but I think it'll be heating up soon. Oh," _she laughed, _"and Alyssa's new friend followed her out there, how cute." _

"Oh?" Quattro smirked. "I didn't know you were into glasses, Katie. But I digress: make sure he doesn't get in the way like earlier. In whatever way you like."

Katie giggled. _"Whatever you say, Mr. Quattro."_

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Southern Signal – 1852 Hours**

"_Come on, come on! Just show your stinkin' face, you damn mage, so I can blow it right the hell off!"_

This young man, Crash, currently resisting the urge to pull the trigger on the rocket launcher he held as he swept it around, was in a very good mood. After all, he was about to kill a Bureau mage – something that, pulled off successfully, gave you buckets of street cred, especially when you weren't one yourself. He was sick of how those wizards lorded it over honest, hard-working people like himself. Well, he knew exactly how to teach them a lesson, and that was by blowing up whoever walked or flew in here.

Not having magic wasn't going to stop them, either. They might talk about banning guns because of the dangers, or whatever, but he wasn't fooled. No way they'd be that obsessed with it if guns couldn't waste them easy. One shot from a good rifle, and they'd be done for – he knew it! And Kaiser knew he'd set up enough a perimeter to turn _any _of them into paste. Crash wasn't a mage, but he _was _very good with his hands, and a few leftovers from the Boss' stock had come up with this lovely arsenal of defenses:

The moment someone took as much as a step out of the alleyway into the small space between apartment buildings it led into, or flew down to investigate the signal, they'd trigger the dozens of remote sensors he'd stashed throughout the area. These were wired to an even greater number of explosions he'd fitted the area with. Once even one was activated, they'd all go off, turning whoever it was into paste. Even if they somehow survived the explosion, he had a switch near his foot that would trigger a few turrets on the rooftops and balconies nearby – they held two barrels; one an RPG, the other a machine-gun equipped with armor-piercing rounds. Even if they _did _survive that, this wasn't the only rocket launcher he held: an entire stock-pile of high-powered weapons was stashed all around this rooftop, and he had the perfect vantage point. No way anyone would get out of _this_ alive.

Craning his ears, Crash heard footsteps approaching. Grinning, he took a step backward (better safe than sorry; he'd learned that a long time ago when dealing with explosives) and grinned as the conflagration of heat, noise and smoke came spiraling up from the dead-end a moment later. A chuckle escaped his lips. "Yeah, surprise, Mr. Mage!" Literally jumping with glee, he walked over to the lip of the roof, peering down.

"What the-!"

Rather than the Bureau Officer's charred, burnt remains, there was a large, dome-like bubble in the center of the dead-end. It was about two to three times the size of the average person, and as he watched, it split at the top, the water draining into the ground and vanishing. Crash stared down: in the center of where it had been was – _"Uh…ain't she one of those Captains?"_

Jeanne slowly reached up and removed her cigarette, slowly expelling a large cloud of smoke. The Rescue Worker's Barrier Jacket was a long, heavy coat that reached from nearly her neck to her feet, colored in vivid shades of blue and white. She didn't seem to have activated her Device yet: perhaps it wasn't necessary. Her gaze swept across the dead-end, but didn't come up toward the rooftop where Crash was crouched. Suddenly she walked over to one of the back walls of the surrounding buildings, which had naturally collapsed much of the way up from the explosion. Crash raised an eyebrow. _"The hell's she doing?"_

He watched as the Captain dug around in the rubble for a bit, coating her hands in water to make the process easier. After it became evident that this wasn't getting her anywhere, Jeanne stepped back, spreading her hands to summon a short stream of water that dislodged more of the rocks. Stepping past them into the body of liquid she'd created, she peered intently into the building.

It was then that Crash remembered that hey, he was supposed to be killing her, and doing it when she was busy looking nowhere near where he was would probably be a bit helpful. Raising his foot, he stamped down hard upon the switch, and watched as the turrets flipped up from their many hiding places, swiveling toward the magic signature of the TSAB Mage and firing instantly. She probably prepared that bubble beforehand; now there was no way for her to avoid this barrage! Crash snickered as he watched.

What he didn't take into account, and would probably have preferred to ignore, was the fact that almost any active spell, once released, could be controlled by its mage. **"Whirlpool Suction." **Jeanne said, throwing up both her hands. The stream gathered up instantly, swirling around her entire body as it quickly gathered speed. An ordinary shield might have been overwhelmed by the sheer number of bullets, but the whirling, dense barrier swept them up, dispelling them of their momentum nigh-instantly. Even the grenades' explosions seemed to be smothered by the water as she summoned more.

Crash didn't go into the specifics of weapons that often, but he'd hazard a guess that after the next couple of minutes, hundreds of bullets and dozens of grenades were fired altogether from the turrets. When they finally clicked empty and the swirling water went limp, splashing to the ground, the sound of the spent metal falling as well went on for several moments.

There was one difference from before, though; Jeanne's hair and jacket were dripping wet, and the cigarette hanging from her lips was ruined. Reaching up, she flicked it away, and then stared right up at Crash. He gulped.

"You just made me waste a perfectly good cigarette," she said, voice low, "but all things considered, you're actually pretty lucky."

Crash only stared, his mouth opening hesitantly but finding no words for it. He was realizing what many people had: Jeanne Stromhold might be a rescue worker who had saved many people's lives, but she could be _scary_. She jerked her head toward the damaged building.

"That building wasn't occupied. If it had been, this would hurt a _lot _more."

Reaching into a pocket on her jacket, Jeanne removed her Device in wrench form. **"Flashpoint, Emergency!"**

There was the usual flash of light from a Device activating, and Flashpoint fell back down into Jeanne's hand. Crash stared; the wrench had transformed into…well, a cannon. Almost as tall as the woman herself, its body was a cylinder, with two metallic protrusions on either side. A long handle was on top, which Jeanne grabbed hold of with both hands. As it was lifted up to point at him, Crash saw the cannon ended in three barrels shaped like the ends of hoses.

…of course, it didn't matter what Device she used with the weapons _he _had available. Hoisting up the rocket launcher, he sighted her down and pulled the trigger. "You're not talking like that to me! I'll blow you to bits!"

In response, Jeanne said nothing, building up a large bubble of water in one barrel as the rocket neared. Crash smiled; if she shot it now, the explosion would only engulf her. So…why didn't she look worried?

"**Bubble Shot."**

Despite the labored charging of the bubble, it moved quite quickly when it was fired, reaching the rocket almost instantly. But instead of colliding with the enemy attack, it suddenly opened on one side, slipping over the rocket and forming back together. The rocket was stopped cold, and as Crash watched, it was crumpled into a useless piece of steel, a sad puff of smoke rising up. The bubble opened at the bottom then, dropping the ruined shell to the

Crash watched as Jeanne made a motion with her hand, a cigarette appearing there. Popping it into her mouth, she did the same with a lighter, flicking it a few times.

Tightening his grip upon the rocket launcher, Crash fired off another shot. "No-one brushes me off like that! Eat this!"

Still messing with her lighter, Jeanne snapped two of her fingers. The bubble promptly burst noisily, the small droplets it separated into firing themselves like bullets up at the rooftop. The rocket in their way was swept up as easily as a pebble and ripped into shreds by the attack. Crash yelped as he leaped aside, his weapon getting ruined just as easily as its shells.

Finally getting her cigarette lit, Jeanne breathed out some smoke up at him. "I think I'm supposed to be telling you to surrender now, but well, I've had kind of a crappy week, so we might as well not waste each-other's time, huh?" She watched him as he picked up a new weapon. "Thanks for making this easy, though; not everyone's nice enough to use weapons that won't actually work on me."

The gun he held now was a large gatling gun, one that looked pretty powerful. Enough, Crash knew, to blew out the first-floor foundations of any of the buildings around them. Some uppity mage like this wouldn't be much trouble, right? Yeah. He tried to ignore the shiver running down his spine. The look in Jeanne's eyes was like how he'd imagined mages looked at him, magnified by about a thousand.

He pumped the trigger on the gatling gun, as if the bullets would get stronger the better he pressed it. This particular specimen of the weapon had an extended clip of about half a thousand rounds; more than enough to kill anything that moves, and spread its corpse around a very wide area.

Just before the bullets left the moving barrels, though, Crash saw something that made him gulp – Flashpoint's three hoses doing about the same movement.

"**Stream," **Jeanne's eyes narrowed as she tightened her grip, **"Gatling**.**"**

Water droplets the size of bullets rushed out of the moving, hose-like barrels, indeed looking like a stream as they poured up and met the bullets coming the other way. To Crash's (or to be more appropriate, perhaps the person who had made the weapon in the first place) credit, it was a relatively even battle for a few moments…until, with a noise of pure dread, the gatling gun flicked empty. He looked down at it blankly. _"Oh…oh _yeah_."_

Then he threw the weapon aside and rolled, the droplets barely missing him. Snatching up his final weapon, Crash came to his feet holding the last weapon: a powerful laser, promised by Barnes to be capable of melting right through any mages' shields. And why would the Boss lie to him?

The barrel of the laser charged up with bright energy for a…looooooong few moments. Jeanne watched, and finally sighed loudly. "Actually, you know what?" Lifting one foot, she brought it back down in a loud stamp on the cobblestones.

Which, Crash noticed far too late as the rooftop underneath him began to heave upward, was conspicuously free of water.

This time it was Flashpoint who spoke up. **"Backflow…Burst."**

"Thanks," Jeanne said as she rearranged her cigarette, watching Crash spiral into the air as the water fountain hit him, "calling those gets old after you hit thirty."

She snapped her fingers. The water quickly followed the plummeting thug, catching up and spreading to engulf him in a bubble roughly one foot away from the ground and a very messy landing. Jeanne leaned forward; Crash's eyes had rolled up into the back of his head. _"Not like I blame him."_

Crash fell to the ground as the bubble burst, a low groan escaping from his throat. He probably wouldn't have gotten up in a long while, even if Jeanne hadn't walked up and kicked him in the head.

Setting Flashpoint down on the ground, Jeanne took a long drag and sent off a quick search spell. Nothing. Of course.

"_Hey, Dwight," _she thought, focusing on one person in particular, _"I'm finished where I am. There's nothing here."_

Dwight sighed. _"Oh, really? That's a shame…" _He paused. _"…Captain."_

Jeanne raised an eyebrow. _"You alright there, Dwight?"_

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Lieutenant Jacobs' Ambush Site – 1858 Hours**

"_Uh, yep, for now, definitely."_

Dwight ducked back behind the pillar he was using for cover as one of the Diggers came stomping by. Riki was arrogant as hell, but he at least had some sense: he was standing in the middle of the room, making sure to keep himself in at least one of the droids' line of sight at all times. Not that Dwight imagined he had anything to do with their continued running, but the effort was admirable at least.

His Captain's voice continued in his head; oddly enough, Dwight had gotten over the whole telepathy thing pretty quickly after magic was explained to him. Psychics were at least something he was used to from back on Earth. They only came out at night, right? _"I don't even know why I wasted the mana searching for it. This guy doesn't exactly scream 'cream of the crop'." _Jeanne snorted. _"Even tried using mass weapons on me – in a dumb way." _She added generously.

"_Guess your reputation didn't precede you for once." _Dwight called back, calling up Gates' map of the room again. He concentrated on an area far away from him, and the red dot indicating him suddenly gained a twin that moved quickly.

Riki's voice called out. "I SEE YOU THERE, DWIGHT!" The Diggers quickly ran off in that direction, including the ones nosing around near his actual position. Dwight relaxed. _"Well, before you ask, Captain, me and the Corporal are fine. You're better off heading for the ballroom and helping out Alyssa. Anton's a nice guy, but somehow I think she could use a hand other than him."_

"_Glad you see things my way then, Dwight. I'll hurry there right aw - dammit. I'll probably be a little while on that, actually, Dwight." _Jeanne's voice disappeared abruptly.

Dwight waited for a moment and then shrugged. He had himself to worry about right now – the Captain was a big girl, she could handle whatever problems she ran into. She'd have to, considering how much she told him that fact everyday. By now Riki and his droids had figured out it had just been another decoy, and were fanning out to look for him again. Dwight didn't know how much longer he could keep that up, and hit and run tactics would just waste time he could be using to help the others. It was time for a more permanent solution.

Looking down at Gates' 'eye', he held up all four fingers on his left hand as wide as he could, and then flattened them against his palm. Gates registered this with a brief glimmer. Shortly after becoming acquainted with his Device, Dwight had realized that the voices on some of them were pretty distinctive, which was useful, but also an advantage for both sides. Not so much a problem when you were up in the air in broad daylight slinging around spells, but surrounded inside a room where your main strategy was silence? A bit more of one, yeah.

To that end he had come up with several non-verbal cues for strategies he and his Device had come up with together. And few people could have memorized them better; Dwight knew. He didn't even have to ask the gun if it understood – there wasn't a better partner when it came to pure memorization.

This one would take a handful of minutes to set up and get into position for, though. Standing back up as carefully as he could, Dwight began to move.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Dead End By Southern Signal – 1859 Hours**

Jeanne stared as the droids quickly stepped out from the alleyway and fanned out; two each of all the new melee types. She gave a deep sigh, picking up Flashpoint as they armed their weapons. _"I'll probably be a little while on that, actually, Dwight." _she said curtly, and shut off the telepathy without explanation. Dwight was a smart guy, he could figure it out.

"Not a bad plan, and you guys are at least one step up from an idiot like that," she jerked her head viciously at Crash's unconscious body, "but even if you're probably smarter than him by a couple hundred points, you're still in the way of the people who are actually important." While they ignored the taunt, the weapons certainly reacted to that, quickly moving to surround her. She didn't stop them.

"So," Jeanne said, adjusting her cigarette, "I'm gonna have to get rid of you quick. _Sorry_."

Water flowed in the alleyway once more.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Corporal Spade's Rooftop – 1858 Hours**

"D-dangit!"

Not many people would have applied the not-swear to nearly getting cut straight down across the back, but Ace wasn't most people. Dodging away from the Knight, he nearly ran into a thrust from its twin. The two, being far more adaptive than their lesser brethren, had switched strategies now that one of them was offline, taking advantage of Ace's lack of range and how most of his spells worked; they were powerful, but needed him to focus on one direction at a time, making flanking a very effective tactic against him.

Ace groaned when they boxed him in again, drawing back both their blades. _"This is gonna be a pain…"_

It is important to note that what Ace did next, namely flinging his hands up to catch both blades mid-swing, was only a feasible move for him due to the gauntlets he wore. More than a few young Strike Arts users had thought otherwise when fighting sword-wielding opponents, only realizing when they had to receive treatment for their cut hands that this wasn't a very good idea at all.

But by no means was it easy for Ace, either. One sword was difficult enough to block as it was, but adding another and putting them on opposite sides made it, well, _harder_. As the Knights increased the downward pressure in their arms, Ace bent lower and lower, gritting his teeth after a few moments of it. Yep, this definitely _was _a pain. But fortunately, Ace had a counter for attacks like this from Belkan Style practitioners. It had come to him one day while training – he hadn't even been thinking about Belka at the time, now that he thought of it. It had just…popped into his head suddenly.

"_But that's fine," _Ace thought quickly rather than let the implications spread over his mind, _"if they wanted me to think up spells like that, then I'll just use them to help people!" _As if from the force of this vow, he forced himself upright, electricity building up in both gauntlets' knuckles. The Knights reacted quickly, trying to pull back their blades, but Ace tightened his grip, stopping them cold. "Let's go, Bolt!"

"_Yes!"_

"**Lightning Counter!"**

The lightning inside Ace's device discharged itself, into the only two places available besides thin air: the droids' swords. Quickly they dropped their weapons and jumped back. A smart decision; the weapons' insides were quickly overloaded by the lightning and detonated, spraying shrapnel across the entire rooftop. Ace held up his arms far apart, gauntlets facing each-other. **"Circuit Barricade!"**

More lightning shot out of the Armored Device, quickly making a pair of wide, simplistic circuits Running between its two pieces. What shrapnel hit the electric wall was robbed of its momentum instantly, falling to the ground instantly. Some of it got around or over the shield, but was weathered well enough by Ace's barrier jacket.

The droids, on the other hand, weren't quite so lucky; their barriers were confined to only the shoulders, and while their heads were fine, several new holes were ripped into their legs, torso and parts of the arms. That apparently wasn't enough to put them down for good, though, as they lifted up their fists and charged, attacking Ace wildly.

For a few seconds.

"Sheesh," Ace sighed, looking down at their broken bodies, "you guys could definitely use some work. One of the biggest rules of a fight: never use a weapon you haven't trained with." He shrugged. "But I guess it doesn't really matter, now."

Standing up straight and exhaling, Ace called out for his nearest superior telekinetically. _"Lieutenant?" _No answer came. _"Dwight?"_

Again, silence. Being an optimist at heart, the Corporal sat down on the cement surface, resting his arms and legs. "He's probably fine: he wouldn't be a Lieutenant if he couldn't handle something _I _couldn't, right?"

"_I wouldn't know."_

"I guess not, huh?" Ace chuckled. He looked up at the higher building. "But you probably _do _know that we can't get up there ourselves, huh?" Teleports had never really been his specialty. "Suppose we'll just wait here, then."

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Lieutenant Jacobs' Ambush Site – 1900 Hours**

That was one other thing about magic, Dwight thought from his cover near a vending machine as the Corporal's voice rang through his head: it took concentration, and there wasn't always enough of it to go around, even without bringing lasers and shields into the equation. Having someone call directly into your head while you were setting up something like this wasn't good, just for example.

Luckily, the kid seemed to get the point, and his fell silent a moment later. Dwight viewed the current situation with a careful eye. He was crouching in the room's southwest corner, as far away from the door as he could get; after all, why would he try to _not _leave the room? Riki seemed to think the same thing, and thus, so did the Diggers.

Still, Dwight had to wait until just the right moment. There were almost a dozen ways this maneuver could fail, and he didn't particularly feel like dying (or worse: seeing the look on Barnes' face when he was brought in front of him) tonight. But he wouldn't have become a sniper if he couldn't be patient in a tight situation. Maybe thirty seconds, a minute, or even two or more passed while he watched, until finally it happened; the Diggers and Riki all looked away from his position at just the right moment.

Lifting Gates up quickly, he snapped off a shot, aiming toward the back of the neck one of the droids. They only had skeletal knowledge of the things, but to someone with his training, headshots equaled one less target to worry about.

Sure enough, the wires and metal connecting the Diggers' head to its body snapping and shattering as it flew off from the _four _bullets that hit it at once. Only one was substantial enough to actually _do _anything, but Riki didn't seem to notice, likely because they had all come from a different corner of the room, courtesy of Gates. Dwight wasn't very good at multiple bullets, but his Device was a different story, thankfully.

As Riki was whirling around, shouting for the droids to go and check out where the shots had come from, another trick Gates had set up activated; a smoke bomb from near the north-eastern corner, which affected itself on the panicked, malleable criminal, instantly making him direct most of the Diggers in that direction. Carefully, Dwight stood up and began moving silently over to the north-western corner, while Gates prepared another round. _"So far…"_

…and so good, it seemed for a while. These tactics slowly but surely diminished the number of Riki's bodyguards, as well as keeping him nervous enough to ignore the pattern things were going through. But that was part of his job; disrupting perp morale and cohesion in any way he could.

Finally, the Droids, or at least what was left of them, were all accounted for, leaving Riki alone in the middle of the room. Now here was where it got a bit tricky; Riki, like most of those in Quattro's employ, wasn't exactly a talented mage, lacking any professional academy to hone their skills, but unlike the droids, his powers were genuine and not from any technology, making him much more versatile. And any criminal could be pretty damn desperate when they were backed into a corner.

"Okay, okay," he breathed, as Dwight began to pick his way closer to ensure a good shot against the comparatively thinner man, "you got them. Alright, fine. I don't need help to take care of your backwater ass!"

Dwight narrowed his eyes at the insult, but kept his cool. Crouching up against a desk, he slowly raised Gates' barrel up to aim at his foe's head. Riki was looking almost directly away from his position, still flapping his gums.

"Yeah, I heard about that from the Boss." His lips curled in a sneer. "Pretty funny that one of the guys who give us so much trouble is from an Unadministrated World, huh? I might just start laughing right here, it's so goddamn hysterical!"

"_Keep talking, Riki." _Dwight thought dispassionately, charging up a shot. It was then that he saw that Riki had folded his arms.

This would have been a difficult thing to safely while holding sais, so it was probably a good thing that he wasn't holding them.

Dwight's eyes, normally trained to focus on one spot at a time, swept his surroundings wildly, looking for-

There. Impaled straight up into the still intact parts of the ceiling were Riki's sais, a few feet away from both his left and right sides. This, with the same predictable luck that all decent people had to suffer through so often, meant that one was almost directly over him. As he watched, both burst into twin glows comparable to spotlights, throwing the room into brilliant light. But Dwight wasn't willing to be one dollar that was _all _it did.

He flung himself forward from his hiding spot in a roll, and not a second too soon as it turned out: bolts of magic shot down from both said in a ring, tearing the surrounding desks and photocopiers to bits, along with one of the legs and some of the back of Dwight's barrier jacket. Sprawling on the ground out of his roll, he looked up to see Riki's weapons slid back into his hands – the criminal quickly ran at him, smiling like a coiling snake.

Dwight snapped up Gates' body held sideways to intercept the first blow, but the second half of the opposing weapon was swung in from the left, its three prongs stabbing into his hand through his glove. The sniper flinched, allowing Riki to kick him right in the face (undoubtedly with magic lining his boot, judging by the way it got past his auto-barrier). He went sprawling back, Gates sliding out of his hands across the carpeted floor.

Speaking of the carpet, while it might have been comfortable for the feet, Dwight really doubted they'd put it in with people's heads in mind. To avoid cracking his skull he twisted himself to one side as he fell – landing straight on his right arm, but it was better than the alternative. Once on the floor, Dwight had the good sense to roll immediately, evading the follow-up lunge from Riki. Coming up to his feet, the Lieutenant thrust out a hand, calling up a Round Shield just as Riki thrust out with his sais. The twin blasts of magic that shot out from them struggled against it for a moment before rebounding off, the force nonetheless sending Dwight backward.

But Dwight rolled with the blow and snatched Gates back up, pointing it at Riki as soon as he was back on his feet. The intelligent device's body shifted as it did, changing from the sleek body of a sniper rifle to the bulky frame of a grenade launcher. Taking a step backward, he aimed carefully.

Riki sneered, running straight at the sniper. "You think I'm scared of that stupid gas, Jacobs?"

"Nope." Dwight replied. He'd been raised to be honest. He pulled the trigger.

By the time the gas bullet burst on the floor and engulfed Riki, he was almost right to Dwight, sais raised to stab down at the sniper. By the time he came out of the other end, he'd been reduced to a coughing, bent-over mess, tears swarming in his reddened eyes. He stumbled forward about two more feet before Dwight sidestepped, engulfing the criminal in a bind spell before swatting him with the butt of his device. Riki dropped like a rock, still coughing pitifully.

"Yeah, you'd be surprised what chemicals you can mix up using magic." Dwight said down calmly. "I was, too: you wouldn't expect magic to be capable of duplicating _backwater _weaponry, would you?" He tapped his device's barrel appreciatively. "Nice work, Gatees."

"_Yes sir."_

With that done, the lieutenant called out with telepathy. _"Ace, you still there? I took care of the guy in here."_

"_Great! So did I." _Ace said back. _"It wasn't that hard, either, heh heh."_

Dwight nodded. _"Glad to hear it. I'll warp up to you, and then we can both head down to the car. I have a feeling Alyssa's gonna need some help."_

"_Lieutenant Lackland called just now, actually. She and GD finished up at their signal; it turned out to be a dud."_

"_Gee, what a surprise." _Dwight said, letting out a sigh.

When Ace spoke next, it sounded a little confused. _"Well, not really, Dwight. If you think about it, it seems pretty obvious that they'd all just be fakes."_

"…_right. What _was _I thinking?"_

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Arturia and GD's Battle – 1902 Hours**

It was somehow very appropriate, GD supposed, that he now found himself fighting a clone of one of two people he was most often partnered with. The Boxer Droid was a near perfect copy of the Corporal in terms of fighting style, mimicking his direct, rushing method of combat quite well, if not quite perfectly duplicating the magic behind it. Nonetheless, this one was quite a tenacious opponent, and would be even more dangerous against a lower ranked mage – or even simply someone who did not know Ace well.

The gadget drone wondered briefly how many similar copies of the Section Thirteen officers had been made, and if there were one of him. Likely not, in all probability: GD would be the last person to call himself weak, but the strengths he held were either through technology – his AMF Generator – or personality – his lack of a sense of 'fair play', as Lady Lackland called it – and not nearly as outwardly impressive as, for example, the Lieutenant in question's defense and splendid swordplay.

Blocking a punch from the Boxer with both hands, he swung himself into a position where he could see how she was faring. Rather well, as it turned out, not that he had expected otherwise: Arturia had long since dispatched the ordinary droids, and her duel with the other two Boxers seemed to be approaching its end. Their accumulated damage was plainly nearing its threshold, while her armor was still almost entirely whole, sporting only superficial wounds on the shoulders and arms.

Behind him, he heard the whine of the normal model's rifles charging up, and slid further back behind the Boxer to deny them a target, at least temporarily. Quickly, he shoved the other robot forward, and then lowered himself into a slide at its legs. This one-two punch threw it to the ground, and GD quickly flipped around and dove down with his claws to gut it while strengthening his AMF on the rear side.

Before his hands could pierce the opposing robot's armor, it rolled, grabbing him by the claws. GD could have directed the generator's output toward his claws, but the rifle shots pattering against the field spoke a lot toward how _that _would go. Apparently unwilling to let the gadget drone get a hand free (rather wisely, GD had to admit), it settled for kneeing him in the chest. A weakness of the gadget drones had always been their incapability of blocking physical-based attacks, and GD hadn't made any changes in that regard. A large inward dent formed on his armor from the blow, and the droid pulled back its leg for another.

But even while he was getting hit, GD had been setting things up to free himself. Stretching his feet out on their cables a short distance away, he dug them into the ground as tightly as he could, and now, retracted quickly. If it had been able to, the Boxer's eyes would have widened as it began to be dragged backward. It tried to let go, but by that point GD was the one not letting go. Flipping back into a standing position, the gadget drone used the momentum to throw the other robot straight over his shoulder. The other droids, naturally, scattered from the tumbling superior unit, but a few ones in the middle weren't able to react in time, getting crushed underneath the Boxer.

Before the others could react, GD was among them, his claws rending and slashing in all directions; three of the remaining droids were destroyed before they could fully register what was happening.

But these robots were machines of battle, quick to adapt: and when they did, in very deadly fashion. As two of his enemies stepped backward and lifted up their rifles, GD detected a growing source of magic directly behind him; one greater than the rifles. Judging the length and proximity in an instant, he flung up his hand, catching the hilt of the rifle-turned-sword the droid had swung at his head about an inch from it.

His other hand was thrust forward, palm out. **"AS: AMF Attract."**

The generator's power focused around the hand, coating it in energy, as with his attack from earlier. This technique, though, was more unique; the gadget drone had developed it only recently, and GD imagined there was currently no-one else who could utilize an AMF in such a way (largely because the TSAB Database's files on the subject were bookmarked on his onboard computer). By temporarily manipulating how his generator produced the field, he was able to draw magical attacks toward a localized and strengthened spot on the protection, thus providing a helpful protection for his allies.

Regardless of how it worked, it adequately protected him from the rifle shots, although GD was conscious of his hand becoming quite singed after only the first few blasts. Extricating himself from this position with all due haste would be ideal…especially as he noted the Boxer quickly advancing from the right, and the building magical signature far to his left, most likely from their absentee suspect's linker core. GD wondered why he seemed to consider him a greater threat than Lady Lackland; it seemed very illogical from where he stood.

Once again, like all computers, GD was forced to juggle a series of complicated, counter-intuitive actions almost in tandem to solve many problems at once, so quickly that it would take some sort of omniscient narrator to describe accurately.

First, sneaking his foot between the sword-wielding droid's legs and around the back of one of them, GD changed his grip from the droid's weapon to its arm. This of course gave it more swinging room, but the Sergeant twisted his arm as he did so, somewhat freely putting the arm in-between the blade and his more vital areas. Sparks flew off the metal as the magic blade hit it, and seeing purchase, the droid pressed further into the blow.

Which was exactly what GD wanted him to do. With a loud, metal snap, the arm came off, clanging to the ground as its owner dove to the left, the blade slicing through nothing more than empty air. The gadget drone's leg pushed it from behind as it stumbled forward, sending it into a trip toward the others – just as they fired. It went down with two smoking holes in its chest, giving GD a perfect shot for a one-handed variant of his AMF Bolts. They went down with two each in their necks.

GD quickly bent low and threw his head to one side, allowing a sneak attack from the Boxer to graze off his shoulder – the lightning-lined blow blew open his shoulder partially nonetheless – before he flipped into a quick leap behind the enemy, grabbing it by the shoulders in a full nelson. This maneuver would ordinarily be, well, impossible with only one arm, so it was a good thing that his legs were made to be flexible; one replaced the discarded appendage well enough.

He leaned forward, enough to speak directly into the space where the Boxer's ears would be if it had them.** "Contemplation: I wonder if the people on your side will care about friendly fire as much as mine do?"**

A moment later, he received his answer.

On the other side of the plaza, one of the other set of Boxers went into spasm as a magical shield and a shortsword went into its neck from opposite sides. With a battle cry, Arturia ripped the latter out with a vicious tug, before plunging it into the droid's chest with a mighty thrust. The device went through easily thanks to the light magic it was imbued with.

Stepping back as it fell to the ground, smoking and sparking, Arturia viewed the ensuing explosion with dispassion. A far different viewpoint was taken when another came a moment later from behind her. Whirling around, she stared at the burst of magical energy. "782!"

The knight started toward the attack's aftermath, but the sound of running footsteps coming from behind made her turn, lifting the shield to block an especially heavy blow from the sole remaining Boxer. The spell wavered, and finally shattered; Arturia stepped back as the pieces faded away, then followed the enemy robot's path as it suddenly leaped over her head, blocking the way.

She glared at its cold, metal eyes. "My Sergeant is in trouble: I have no time for you!"

Rising Frangir high, Arturia focused her energy on her sword as it enlarged, the device transforming back to his default claymore form, ejecting a cartridge as it did so. By the time it had done so, it was already practically a small beacon, and the glow only intensified. The Boxer paused for a moment, clearly wary of the growing power, until it seemed to decide the risk was acceptable by charging.

Arturia watched it approach, and…began to speak? "O' holy sword of the House of Verum, invoke thy light!"

The Boxer crossed the distance quickly with its artificial strength, sliding to the left just before it reached her. This target favored slow, powerful attacks, so the chance of her striking preemptively before it could dodge was indeed unlikely. The blow was aimed toward the right side of her head, with enough strength behind it to tear the head off any unprotected human.

But, prideful as they usually were, no self-respecting Verum Knight would ready an attack from their blade and _not _prepare things so that it succeeded. When the robot's fist, crackling with lightning magic, impacted on Arturia's cheek, it did nothing more than move her head to one side, the attack buffered by the lieutenant's excellent set of barriers. It was often a surprise to criminals when they found out just how much her defenses could withstand, all told, and sadly, Leonard had never really been able to gather data on what exactly their limits were.

Quickly the droid struck again, aiming toward her chest this time, but Arturia scoffed slightly, twitching the fingers on one hand to ensnare it in a full set of shining binds. "'twas an adequate blow, for something like you," she said as it began to struggle, "but your folly was in not ending it then and there. Now pay the price!"

Lifting the blade higher, she cried out, "SHINE! **Lucidus Gladius!**"

Before Arturia unleashed her blade in a mighty, horizontal slash, the Boxer broke free, quickly slamming its fists together. But the shield of lightning the action produced might as well have been tissue paper: it was sliced into two halves easily.

Striding quickly ahead, ignoring the sound of her former opponent bursting apart, she surveyed the site where GD had been fighting and frowned. Folding her arms, she stared at the single scorch mark on the ground with suspicion. Arturia had often trained with the gadget drone, and the utmost fact she had taken away from these sessions was this: if there was not a certainty that he was defeated, then he was still your opponent.

Sure enough, from above there came the sound of breaking glass, followed by piercing scream. Arturia looked up to find the suspect in midflight toward the ground. Quickly she flung out her hand, summoning a shield as a makeshift net to break his fall. Not _softly_, of course: training at the Saint Church generally did not involve kid gloves, whatever branch you were a part of.

Smacking off the shield with a crunch only slightly muffled by his barrier jacket, Nelson hit the ground rolling, tommy gun device somehow managing to stay clutched in his hands. Scrambling to his feet, he eyed Arturia like an animal caught in a trap, an expression only made worse when GD dropped to the ground from the broken window a good deal more smoothly, almost trapping him directly between two 'coppers'.

He nodded to his superior. **"Greeting: hello, Lady Lackland. I assume you have finished with your duel?"**

Arturia frowned, as she usually did when faced with an accomplishment by the droid. "Indeed. I see that you as well, and apprehended the subject as well. Good wo-"

The two flung up their shields and quickly dodged, respectively, as Nelson, seeing a supposed opening, let loose with a hail of attacks from his tommy gun before running in the opposite direction. It definitely wasn't the most sophisticated escape attempt from TSAB personnel ever conducted (the participants of _that _case had all wisely chosen to forget it), but it…

…didn't come close to working, even if one of the officers couldn't fly. Arturia raised her hand, but GD didn't need to move from his spot to do this. Slinging his arm forward on its cable, it quickly caught up to the fleeing criminal and snatched him by the back of his coat. Letting out a yelp, Nelson flailed in the grip enough to get his device pointed at the Sergeant, squeezing off a few spell rounds. Most were negated by the AMF, but one managed to sneak past the barrier and clip GD in the leg, cracking it open partially and dropping him onto one knee.

Nelson, despite the situation he was in, enjoyed a brief grin at this – until he was right in front of the gadget drone, single red eye turned up to meet his. Quickly GD let go of the man's back before reaching up, grabbing his arm tightly with an energized hand in a very precise way, and jerking it downward. Hard.

Letting out a sound comparable to a wounded furry animal, he collapsed, dropping the storage device as he cradled his arm (while falling on it, ironically), screaming incoherently about his arm.

Looking down at Nelson for a moment with a surprisingly, er, _expressive _expression of disdain, GD turned to Arturia. **"Statement: Lady Lackland, I have apprehended the-"**

The Lieutenant promptly hit him over the head with the butt of Frangir's pommel. "Exactly what was that, 782! I don't remember giving you an order to break a suspect's arm!"

GD scratched the spot with his claw a bit as he replied. **"Explanation: I deemed that the most efficient method of containing him, Lady Lackland. A bind can be broken out of by anyone, given enough time, and there is no telling what may lie ahead to distract you. A clean sprain – not a break – meanwhile, cannot be undone so easily, and requires no extended drain on my part." **

He indicated their former opponent, who had yet to move much. **"Assessment: I doubt he will be much inclined to move, now, especially once I apply these."**

Tapping a section of his armor, it popped up to reveal a pair of handcuffs sitting in a hollow there. Retrieving them, GD knelt, and paused. **"Query: Lady Lackland, might you-" **He nodded his head in the direction of the discarded arm.

Arturia sighed and walked over. "Honestly; I don't understand how a machine like you can be so uncivilized at times."

"**Retort: one could say the same for much of the Bureau, Lady Lackland. When your weapons are non-lethal, it seems surprisingly easy to break **_**many **_**bones by accident, or worse."**

Shaking her head, she picked up the limb and returned, conscious that 'worse' contained most Belkan users. "Talking like that is why many consider you dangerous, 782." Stepping around to his back, she reinserted the arm into its socket, certainly an easier job with a robot than a human. "You are aware of that, are you not?"

He looked up at her. **"Confirmation: yes."**

Arturia frowned at the blunt answer. _"But then, I may be the only one who understands just how dangerous you are." _ Preparing to contact her superior telepathically, she glanced toward GD's wounded leg. "Shall I ask for a replacement, 782?"

GD put his weight on it gingerly, and then shook his head. **"Analysis: it is only a scratch. I do not believe it is much cause for worry – a small amount of damage is meaningless to me."**

The knight's displeased expression as she called in to the Major, a fact GD noted. The lady called attention to his artificial nature a handful of times per day, at least, but appeared disgruntled when he did so himself. He had yet to understand why, even after a month of working with her.

Suddenly Arturia's expression changed from a frown to shocked blankness, and then quickly to anger. "Alyssa Triad…!"

"**Query: what did-"**

"She told _me_ to 'buzz off', then cut the connection! How dare she speak to someone that way! It's completely unbefitting someone of her rank! I don't know-"

As GD listened to the lieutenant go over the many ways Captain Triad had offended her, he tried to avoid thinking about exactly _how_ much efficiency and time this was wasting. It wasn't always easy, being the only robot on the squad.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Western Signal – 1907 Hours**

"_It's far too quiet."_

Another of Barnes' 'crack' team, a rather large in a black barrier jacket man by the name of Aleksei, surveyed the area he had been assigned to lay a trap in – a small park dotted with trees set in the middle of several adjacent buildings. It wasn't anything expansive, just a place for people to take their kids. This explained why Aleksei was currently perched on the top of a jungle gym. Silly or not, it offered him a fairly decent few of the surrounding area, and in turn anyone entering it from the paths leading in from the street.

Not that it really mattered if _he _saw them or not. Aleksei cast his gaze up toward the rooftops, where, lying close to the ground and camouflaged on the surface, were models of the attack droids specializing in ranged assault. They each came equipped with a powerful rifle, strong enough to rip through the average mage's shields if they had a clear shot.

But he wasn't really expecting whoever it was to just come waltzing (or flying, whatever) in. The bureau didn't hire idiots. They'd definitely wait and see, surveying the terrain before cautiously approaching. It wouldn't work, of course. These things were damn good at detecting even slight movements from strangers. With nothing else to do for the moment, Aleksei stooped and picked up a small rock on the jungle gym's floor. Winding up, he tossed it at a spot visible from all of the rooftops and watched as the rough surface was turned scarlet by a multitude of laser sights. After a half-second they vanished. Aleksei nodded; if that happened with a small rock, a search spell would definitely set them off as well.

Despite what his appearance might indicate, though, Aleksei was growing a bit nervous. A lot of his colleagues would have been surprised at that, and that was sort of a problem for men of his size in organizations like this. If you were big and in charge (and thus, the biggest man, as the rules went), people looked up to you with respect – at least to your face, which was good enough. But be big and in any position below that, and people thought you were just some goon.

Aleksei clenched his right hand into a fist absent-mindedly. Present on it was his storage device, a rather deceptive form for one to take: a single brass knuckle. Nothing, after all, said devices had to be very noticeable in their unsealed forms, but not many people seemed to have gotten_ that_ memo. A lot of people he'd been assigned to…negotiate with had gone for their own, thinking he'd do the same, and bang.

Anyway. The other guys had all reported in when they'd met their opponents, and he had mentally ticked them off: the knight and robot, the sniper who'd made boss' shit list, that rescue worker, and the idiot kid with the gauntlets. That only left two people after the ones attending that ball Quattro Angelo was holding: – strong-arming him had been the best move Boss had ever made – the archeologist and that weird girl that usually hung around him.

There were a lot of stories around about Daniel, if you knew where to look and who to ask. Half treated him like some folk hero, while the other was spat through seething mouths, but they seemed to have equal ground in what he was capable of if pushed. On the other hand, there wasn't a shred of information to be found about his 'partner', and knowing nothing about someone could be just as bad as them being famous. The only thing they knew for sure was that she could control plants. He glanced around at the trees nearby for a moment before shrugging. They couldn't exactly go anywhere, right?

He hadn't received any messages from the other guys in a while now, either – had they all gotten caught? Well, it didn't matter. The same thing wouldn't be happening to him, rocks or no rocks, plants or no plants. He shifted, getting comfortable again, when a sound reached his ears.

It was faint, probably only carried over to him by the breeze blowing around, but he could tell it was some kind of music. Exactly what kind was beyond him, but Aleksei doubted a concert player had just wandered by here to practice. He strained his ears, trying to tell where it was coming from…

From behind him came the sound of a tree branc shifting with a loud crack. Aleksei whirled in that direction, leaning out and staring hard. But there didn't seem to be anything or anyone in that direction, and the trees there wouldn't nearly be enough to hide someone trying to sneak up. There didn't seem to be any spells coming, either. He relaxed slightly, just in time for another branch far to the right to move as well.

Aleksei frowned, and then settled back again. "Nice try. No way I'm going to let myself get spooked by-"

The bright-colored metal underneath him suddenly shifted violently. The man nearly fell, but steadied himself as he looked down to the ground, which was currently in the middle of a vicious upheaval. Frowning, he leaped off the jungle gym quickly, landing on the ground. Not to his great surprise, the shaking shifted almost immediately to where he landed, threatening to engulf him entirely. Grunting, Aleksei pumped magic through his legs and leaped away, clearing a good portion of the park in a single bound.

As he flew, Aleksei scanned the ground below, and found what he was looking for quickly: a small, travelling mound of dirt, like the kind you saw in those cartoons as a kid. Landing and leaping again quickly as the earth rose up on that spot, he came down with a magic driven punch swung directly at the head of the mound.

When his fist broke through the dirt and rocks, though, he frowned, not hearing the familiar sound of his device hitting a barrier jacket or flesh. Instead of Daniel within the mound, there was nothing but a long metal rod, now broken into two pieces. They vanished within a moment, but Aleksei was moving too quickly to notice, pulling his arm out before the tunnel could entrap it and running.

That wasn't the only trick Daniel had prepared, though. As he fled the tunnel practically exploded behind him, sending rocks flying at his back like bullets. Apparently that wasn't enough, either: with a chorus of whistling sounds similar to the wind blowing, the blades of grass around him uplifted themselves and shoot at him too. When they touched his shields, Aleksei saw the term was a lot more accurate than usual – the grass had become razor sharp, like needles.

His barriers didn't last very long under the barrage of terrain, and he grunted as the rocks began to bash away at the barrier jacket underneath, along with the slow but surely growing cuts on it from the grass. _"Dammit, there's ammo all around for both of them to use! They're the worst people to fight in this kind of location!" _That music was still in the air, too, just loud enough to distract him.

Luckily, ahead of him was a tree. Even if the girl could move it in some way too, it would hopefully give him a reprieve from the rocks, and possibly the grass as well. Jumping up, he caught hold of a branch and flipped himself up to the top, pausing to catch some much deserved breath as the attacks ceased.

"_I can't just keep running forever, and they'll attack again soon." _Aleksei thought. _"Where the hell are they?"_

He knew that jumping after more of those tunnels would just lead to more decoys, but there had to be some way of tracking the two down. Then Aleksei recalled one particular fact about Daniel: his nickname, 'Mole King'. Supposedly the guy could tunnel through rock like it was nothing – _"And turf like this would probably be child's play, huh?" _

Clenching the hand containing his device, he again sent more power flowing into his legs. This would be a bit more forceful than just jumping, but hopefully it would do the job.

Just before Aleksei leaped, the music caught on the wind and grew louder to his ears, and the branch underneath his feet suddenly gave an ominous lurch. He left the branch just as it lurched upward in a motion that would have pinned him forcibly to the trunk It was time to take control of this situation.

Not to his surprise, a pillar of rock came up to meet him from the ground, but the large man pressed downward, smashing it to bits before reaching the ground. The magic within his legs was expelled in an instant as he met the earth in a vicious stamp, sending a powerful shockwave out in all directions. The effect was immediate: a loud, muffled yelp sounded across the park grounds, and a hole in the dirt opened some distance away that Daniel hurriedly flung himself out of, Lithic in one hand. He was dressed in his barrier jacket, a functional, dirt-brown spelunker's outfit with quite a few pockets on it, and even a hard hat equipped with its own light somehow.

"T-twice in one week," he breathed, "who did I cross, exactly?"

Aleksei was on him in an instant, grabbing the shorter man forcibly around the neck, kicking the Device away, and hauling him up to his eyes. It required another injection of magic to his muscles, but the effect of the effort was all too noticeable on the tunneller's face. "Nice tricks, pal." he drawled. "Especially liked the hide and go seek parts. Well, guess what: you're it."

The Snipers' laser sights had been swerving around wildly during the chaos, trying to pick out some hostile target in the mess, but now they shifted over to illuminate Daniel's head with their pinpoint glows. The archeologist slowly gulped.

Chuckling a bit, Aleksei held up the five fingers on his left hand, and after a moment lowered one. "I guess you get the idea, huh? I wonder if your friend can help you out of this?" Another came down.

To his surprise, Daniel gave a weak smile. "A-actually – yeah."

The laser sights aligned on his head suddenly went wild, swerving all around. Aleksei looked around quickly, but there was no-one else nearby. Finally his eyes swept up to the nearest Sniper's position, and they widened at what had happened to it. Covering the robot and sprouting out from holes in its armor were thick vines that had engulfed and crushed it completely. It almost looked like some kind of weird sculpture; very _avant-garde_.

Aleksei didn't have to look around to know the same had happened to the others. He stared blankly for a moment as Daniel chuckled into his ear for a moment, and then uttered a low growl, turning to slam the archeologist into a nearby tree trunk. The criminal had the satisfaction of hearing him grunt in pain – his barrier jacket didn't seem to be very durable.

"Okay," the criminal said, pulling his arm back as the limb became aglow with magic, "how about from _this_?" The music had yet to disappear, and had even grown louder from his new position. Well, he could worry about her after taking care of this little punk.

The smirk on Daniel's lips hadn't faded, and he nodded despite the hand around his neck. "In a w-word…_yeah_."

Sneering, Aleksei replied by throwing his fist forward – only for it to stop midway. The thug might have pitched forward out of surprise, but the force suddenly gripping it was strong enough to stop him completely. Snapping his eyes downward, he saw what looked like a thick, brown rope wrapped firmly around his arm. Then he looked closer, and saw that it disappeared into the ground very near the tree.

And then, out of the corner of his eye, something seemed to move. Slowly Aleksei turned his eyes up…into a pair of holes that had appeared in the trunk. From their size and shape, one could be forgiven for seeing them as eyes, especially when they focused right onto him. It was an unpleasant gaze, but for all the wrong reasons. Rather than being full of hatred, anger or cruelty, it was simply the look of someone seeing something that didn't really matter to them at all, like an ant, or even a weed.

Abruptly another, much larger hole opened in the trunk, almost wide enough to split it in half. Certainly big enough to be what it clearly was: a mouth.

With his gaze locked and eyes wide as dinner-plates, Aleksei didn't notice the second root that sprouted behind him until a moment after the mouth opened, when it pushed at the same time as the first pulled. The tree was strong, far stronger than you'd expect foliage to be, and he quickly found himself splayed across the lip of the mouth, arms gripping the trunk as tightly as they possibly could. "N-no! No _way_!"

In the instant he had been pulled forward, Aleksei had let go of Daniel instinctively. Dusting off his barrier jacket, he walked around to the thug's back and stood tapping his foot. "I guess that's enough of an answer for you, big guy?"

Raising his arm, he called out, **"Rock Armor: Arm!"**, and shoved his arm down into the ground, which parted like water and closed around it before he ripped it out, now with a sleeve of hardened dirt (and some grass and – _eugh _– worms, but mostly dirt) coating it like a gauntlet. Rapping on it with his free arm, Daniel grinned as it caught Aleksei's attention.

"You know, there are about ten different awful puns I could make here, but I'm just not that mean." Daniel said smugly, as he began winding up the arm. From the angle the criminal was at, it looked very large. "I'm definitely mean enough to do _this_, though!"

Aleksei began to stammer. "Now, now hold on a sec – could we talk about-"

"Nope." Daniel said cheerfully, bringing his arm forward in a mighty push. Aleksei sailed forward into the mouth with a brief scream that cut off as it slammed shut. The archeologist nodded in satisfaction before dismissing the enchantment and going to pick his device. "You alright there, Lithic?"

"_Aye, boss."_

Daniel nodded. "Cool." Looking around at the rather wrecked park for a moment, he set about repairing it as best he could. Part of the problem of using earth magic was the bad PR you got, even from little stuff like this. After tidying up the ground and resetting the jungle gym, Daniel dusted his hands off and then almost jumped out of his skin when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

Turning with a sigh, he folded his arms at Otavi. "So, Otavi, are you _completely _incapable of making noise whenever it would make me crap my pants?"

The enigmatic girl simply shrugged. Her barrier jacket was a simple red-on-green dress, relatively easy to move around in and seemingly designed for a female musician holding a concert. Matching it was her boost device, an elegant green violin currently held gently in her arms.

"Anyway," Daniel said casually though not unkindly, "good work with those plants: I might have been in trouble there without you around." The way he put 'might' said that this was a monumental occurrence…at least to him.

Walking up to the tree now functioning as a cell, he jabbed a thumb at him. "Anyway, let big green know to let the guy out when somebody knocks, and I'll get on the horn back to base, alright?"

He watched as Otavi walked demurely up to the tree, laying a hand on its trunk and locking eyes with it. A moment passed, but no words between the two whatsoever. Daniel watched with a curious eye: he seemed to be the only one who had seen this part of Otavi's powers. She didn't seem that interested in sharing it, so he'd kept quiet.

"_Although I guess if you think about it, I kinda talk to the environment a little too." _The digger shrugged and sent off the message before nodding to his partner. "Okay, let's get going."

Otavi nodded. "Yes."

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius? – Location Unknown – 1911 Hours**

Leonard leaned back and sighed as the final signatures on the computer screen turned red. "There goes the last of them. Ah well, back to the drawing board again, I suppose…"

"Compiling methods of defeat by Section Thirteen Officers and sorting by levels of effectiveness, common ground, and the situations involved. I'll add it to what data we have in order to determine what improvements can be made." came Lacerta's calm voice from next to him as she worked her own keyboard.

The elderly scientist gave a weary smile. "Yes, thank you Lacerta." While she did that, he sent a transmission to the person who would be most interested in this. A second or two later the man in charge of their operation appeared on the screen. He said nothing, staring silently at Leonard as he awaited an explanation of what had been important enough to call him.

"Er," Leonard gave an uncomfortable cough, "Cypher, I'm afraid the new prototypes have all been-"

"Destroyed?" Cypher asked, staring right through him. "Foregone conclusion, in all probability. In any case, irrelevant: units served purpose of evaluating performance and gathering more specialized data." He nodded. "After tonight, commence work on streamlining models – and begin applying data into Commander prototype."

Leonard's eyes lit up a bit. "Ah, yes, I have been looking forward to-"

Cypher cut him off. "Keep posted on any extreme developments. Especially related to Cashim." With that, the transmission clicked off, the screen returning to its aerial display of the city.

"I really don't know how to talk to him." Leonard said with a sigh.

"Yeah, join the club." muttered Grace as she entered in time to hear that. Walking up to the computer, she propped her chin and hands up on the back of Leonard's chair. "So, how's it going?"

Shooting her a brief disgruntled look, Leonard waved a hand at the screen. "Well, as you can see, they've managed to destroy all of the new models and arrest Quattro's men who were being aided by them. Now they're all converging on the ballroom – very close by to where the Lost Logia seems to be." He indicated the artifact's signature with a point of a gnarled finger.

The old man took on a ponderous look. "They don't appear to have realized that at the moment, however. One of the Captains is fighting someone in that vicinity, and she hasn't even tried to break off yet." He shrugged. "Whoever it is must be a very exceptional opponent to hold her attention so."

Grace raised an eyebrow. "Someone strong enough to fight with one of the Captains just showed up?" She walked over to the side of the room. "Sounds like something we need to know about. I'll hop into that Recon unit and have a look see."

Leonard sighed, watching as she slipped on the VR equipment. "Just try not to damage it, please: making a model with those capabilities was very time-consuming."

"Right, right," Grace muttered, putting on the visor, "I'll be as gentle with it as my own child."

"That is not reassuring."

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Rooftop near Ballroom – 1912 Hours**

"_Dreadful. Nearly ten years and they're both still as boring as when I left." _Katie sighed. _"There's just no helping some people."_

She'd been watching the fight from her position near a stairwell, and was now reflecting that, while certainly useful, there were plenty of things that would have been far more entertaining to watch. The paint drying on a wall, perhaps, or maybe Barnes ordering his men around – Barnes doing almost anything, really, which said all it needed to on how dull Alyssa and Glenn's matches always were.

Really, they didn't seem to know the difference between a spar and a real _fight_. Even as angry as Alyssa was (and given how many times she had been the cause of similar moods, Katie ought to know), they were still fighting as back on the ship: playing around like children. She'd fire off the flashiest, most 'impressive' move she could, he would block it, and of course have to match it with something of his own. _"But then, haven't they always treated it like some game?" _Katie frowned. _Real _fights couldn't be like that.

Throughout her thoughts, Katie had been idly tossing a small collapsible knife up and down. Catching it this time, she held it up to her eyes. "Let's show Alyssa what a true fight is, shall we Coltello?"

"_Si." _it purred. Katie allowed herself a smirk.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Skies over Ballroom – 1911 Hours**

"_A-amazing…"_

Anton had been thinking something along those lines perpetually ever since the battle had begun. It was one thing to be shown footage of a fight between two powerful mages, and quite another to be right nearby one. Alyssa and her brother were both amazing, at attack, defense and speed, racing across the sky in auras of blue and red before clashing together, spear and katana fighting for dominance. The former had reach, but Glenn swung his device in elegant strokes, cutting off Alyssa's thrusts and spins easily.

But while it was clear he held the edge in melee combat, whenever they broke off to fire respective volleys of spells, it became obvious that was Alyssa's advantage: Glenn lacked the versatility or speed of his siblings' projectiles. These respective skill differences were the cause of their barrier jackets' damage – also roughly even. The fight seemed to be just getting started, though: from Anton's perspective neither his captain nor her opponent were showing signs of exhaustion.

"_Young Master," _Anton looked down at Akashic, who had spoken up quietly, _"should you not assist?"_

The secretary lifted a finger to scratch his cheek. "Uh…I don't know about that, Akashic." When the book began an annoyed murmur, he quickly added, "She _did _tell me to stay out of it, remember?"

"_What will the others think of that, I wonder?" _

Anton flinched. "W-well…"

Before the discussion could continue, a computer window opened in midair next to him. Anton turned to view Doctor Forrester's frosted goggles. "Doctor? What's wrong?"

Forrester paused for a moment, tapping one finger on the arm rest. "Well, not _purely _wrong, per say; more good news and bad news." He brightened up. "The good news is, I believe I have come up with the answer of what kind of Logia we're dealing with!"

Anton smiled, adjusting his glasses. "That's great! What kind?"

"A bomb."

The secretary nearly jerked the specs right off his face. "…um. What?"

"A bomb," Forrester repeated, "and a fairly potent one, too. Ingenious, I'd go so far as to state. Whoever made it was truly a master."

"_I don't know if being a master at blowing people up is something to compliment." _Anton muttered inwardly. Aloud he asked, "Are you sure? How did you come up with that answer?"

Forrester steepled his fingers as he replied. "Questioning my calculations, eh? Well, I'll let it go this time. Essentially, I've been monitoring you and – er, no, everyone else _besides _you, actually. But anyway, I noticed some odd fluctuations in how the excess magic in the air from all the fighting was acting, and after some deeper scanning, found they were being suctioned toward a specific spot – namely, a spot right nearby the Angelo Corporation's building."

Anton's eyed widened. "Magic being suctioned?" He remembered reading about a few techniques involving absorbing the magic run-off from a mage battle…including one almost every cadet knew by name. But he'd never heard of one capable of doing it across an entire city!

The Doctor nodded. "Precisely. I had one of the boys nip along to the library and pick up that book on Lost Logia Daniel has. Sure enough there was one type that matched this phenomenon almost exactly. Essentially, the Belkans would bury one underneath a location they knew would see battle, wait for the soldiers to charge it up with their own magic, and BAM!" He clapped his wizened hands together. "No more army."

Recoiling like he'd been slapped in the face, Anton gasped. "That's _insane_! What would anyone have to gain from blowing up an entire city!"

"Oh, I doubt it would be the _entire_ city. Some outskirt areas would probably survive, along with-"

"Not important!" Anton shouted. "Where is this spot? I'm the closest to it, right?"

Forrester shrugged. "You and Captain Alyssa, technically, but she appears to be busy at the moment."

Deflating slightly at this, the rookie nodded nonetheless. "Alright, if I have to take care of it, I will."

"Wonderful." Scooting aside a little, the scientist indicated a blinking building on the map, near a green icon marked with an A. "It's a very large building – on the same street you're above, I believe."

Anton looked around. Aside from the Angelo Corporation's building, there were numerous constructions home to other, smaller businesses, but the one that stood out most was a skyscraper _nearly _as big as it, a bit to the left from being right across the street from Quattro's headquarters.

"I think I found out where it is," he reported, "I'll head in now."

"Good luck!" Forrester said with some rather artificial cheeriness before the window disappeared. Retrieving his inhaler and taking a quick puff to steady his nerves, he prepared to swoop down toward the building.

Not for the first time, having Akashic around kept Anton from embarrassing – in this case, by electrocution and possible death. As he descended he ran into a strong, sudden wind current called up by the tome, and, too surprised to resist, let it sweep him right back up. This proved to be a fortunate decision, as it carried him out of the path of the thunderbolt that ripped through the path he'd been about to take, stopping before him in a short burst of lightning that broke through his defenses easily and singed his barrier jacket.

When the light from the attack died down, the very first thing Anton saw was the dagger blade tapping him gently below the chin. Letting out a loud yelp, he jetted backward frantically to the sound of laughter.

Katie's giggles died down soon enough, to the gratitude of his reddened cheeks, and she let out a happy sigh. "Ah, I needed that." She took a bow. "Thank you, Mr. Rookie."

The third and final Triad's barrier jacket was a two piece yellow-on-black ensemble, a vest and an undershirt above an accurate recreation of leather pants. The space between was bare, showing off her rather fetching midriff. Her hair was done up in a ponytail now, and she twirled the twin daggers Coltello had become with worrying ease.

":I was wondering when you were going to figure it out," she said smoothly with a smile, "good job. But I'm afraid I can't actually let you capitalize it, sorry!"

Nearby, both Alyssa and Glenn stopped, and the former glared at the new arrival. "Katie," the officer snarled, "thought I smelled something."

"_Koshiro AND Coltello: two lamers too many." _Bowie quipped.

Katie's smile grew wider. "Oh, hello there, Big Sister. I do hope I'm not _interrupting _anything, but I just couldn't resist wanting to see you again after so long." The grin gew into a smirk. "I hope you can forgive me."

"Hah," Alyssa sneered, looking between her and Glenn, "I guess you're the one who arranged this little reunion too, aren't ya?" Sucking in, she spat. "I always knew you were crooked, Katie, but I didn't think you'd ever run with trash like this."

This accusation was met with the same confident smile. "Well, people do change after many years, sister, and we have been apart for enough of them." Katie folded her arms, keeping the daggers in view. "Not that it's been all bad: I should really thank you for _giving _me the opportunity-"

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Alyssa yelled, rushing forward only to be headed off swiftly by Glenn, sending them into another deadlock.

"-with your little, hm hm, 'blunder'." Katie finished, and shrugged lightly. "I see that it worked out for you, though, Captain: every cloud _has_ to have a silver lining, after all." She turned to the icy samurai. "How about you, Brother? Any thoughts on this?"

Glenn looked straight into Alyssa's eyes. "No." he stated. "Nothing at all."

Katie shrugged again. "Oh, well." Tapping one dagger on her own chin for a moment, she pointed the other at Glenn. "Speaking of, shouldn't you stop fooling around now, Brother?" Her smile turned upside down. "I would hope you'd remember what Father used to say about prolonging battles?"

A moment passed, and then Anton watched with growing dread as the air around the swordsman grew silver with frost. Strengthening the push behind his blade, he forced Alyssa backward. She went with the shove, sailing backward to make some distance between the two, about five meters.

Eying her across the expanse, Glenn slowly held his katana out horizontally in the air toward the left. The frost began to harden into arrow-like projectiles – a lot of them. **"Sleet Arrow."**

As their maker lifted his hand to point at his sister, the arrows began to fire themselves, with below average speed but also with gradual pressure; for every one that was fired another seemed to form within moments.

"If you think this crap is going to keep me from kicking your head in, you've got another thing coming, Glenn!" Alyssa yelled, firing off a volley of her own fire arrows and immediately charging. Watching, Anton cheered mentally as the fire and ice attacks cancelled each-other out and his captain began to close the remaining distance by weaving and slashing the ice arrows.

That was when he noticed something: certain spots in the air where Glenn's projectiles had passed through were now glowing with a small, dark-blue dot, not much larger than a pin-point. It was probably a miracle he'd managed to see them at all with the sky darkening as it was. Anton then realized two things quickly. That they were arranged in a very specific sort of pattern, and that all of them were right in Alyssa's path.

"Captain, LOOK OUT!" he shouted, forgetting telepathy for the moment.

"Too late." Katie said happily.

Glenn closed his eyes. **"Frozen Gate."**

"_Shinu."_

When Alyssa passed through the pattern created by the lights, it happened; massive ice-blocks burst up all around her from each of them. Eyes widening, she tried to pull back, but far too late – the elements swallowed her up completely within the glacier. Anton stared, as if hoping fire might erupt from the icy prison, but…there was nothing.

Floating up to the ice prison, Katie tapped it with one dagger, smiling. "And that, as they say, is that."

She backed away and motioned to Glenn. "Go right ahead, Brother. I think you've earned this."

Nodding silently, the samurai approached the icy cage that held his sister and raised Koshiro high, preparing for a downward chop that would undoubtedly shatter it and anything within. Then he grunted slightly in surprise as a blast of wind impacted against his defenses, doing absolutely nothing but certainly getting his attention. Lowering his sword, he looked over at Anton. Jerking up a bit less stoically, Katie did the same, staring at the secretary with surprise.

"Oh, right," she said, recovering quickly, "you're still here, aren't you?" She sighed. "I'm in a good mood right now, Mr. Rookie, so I'll make this quick and easy."

Katie pointed back toward Section Thirteen's headquarters. "Just head back there and out of our business, and I'll let you go." She smiled widely. "This is just between family, so there's really no reason for you to get involved, right?" Her tone of voice indicated she certainly thought so.

Anton had to admit with some shame that he had definitely thought about it for longer than he should have. But after a few moments, he shook his head and quaked out, "Not a chance. I'm…not going to let either of you kill her!"

The girl's eyes narrowed a fraction, and the daggers suddenly became more aggressive in her hands. "Alright, fine," she purred, "just don't whine in a minute or two that I didn't warn you. I could use the work-out for later, anyway."

Behind her, Glenn lifted his katana and glared at Anton, who was now feeling a pit of pure dread forming in his stomach. He gulped as auras of lightning and ice formed around his new opponents.

"_I am so dead."_

_To be continued…_

_Next time, Anton finds himself in a world of trouble as he faces two opponents at Alyssa's level with his paltry C Rank; the equivalent of fighting two brush fires with a garden hose. Can he hope to rescue his Captain, or beyond that, even keep himself alive in such a situation?_

_Find out in __**Sudden Storm**_, _coming soon._

Alucius Dawn – Really? Sometimes I feel like I overexplain things sometimes, and that some other people have a better sensation of speed. But thank you for the compliment. And I hope this chapter showed you that GD is nothing to…be…oh. Huh.

Tiresias-135 – Well, I'm not too versed on gangster movies, so those were mostly off the top of my head. And yeah, that's kind of a problem when you introduce so many characters this quickly, I suppose. It won't be as bad now, though, I don't think.

RedPBass – I've always tended toward writing long chapters, yeah. Maybe it's because I like putting as much stuff in as possible, heh. I've no intention of just stopping this out of the blue, so don't worry – I really should be getting back to those One Piece stories, though.

Until next time, see enough to be what it clearly was: a mouth.

e enough to be hatred, anger or cruelty, d right onto him. It was an


	6. Sudden Storm

Time to see if Anton can actually hack it in a battle against a mage – or at least keep himself from getting killed while trying.

**Section Thirteen**

**Chapter Six: Sudden Storm**

**Planet Gardius – Skies over Ballroom – 1914 Hours**

Anton's instructors back at the academy had always taught him to view situations calmly, no matter how badly they seemed to be. Your mind had a funny way of overblowing dilemmas, but if you viewed them logically, they almost always turned out to be more manageable than you first assumed. He tried that now: currently, his Captain had been captured and was now under the whims of two people who wanted her dead, siblings or not, and the only hope for getting her out of it in time was…him.

"_Maybe it would work for someone better than me." _He thought blithely. Pessimism aside, he'd moved into his typical battle stance – the baton in his right hand, Akashic in the other, with wind gathering around the tip of the former – and viewed the situation concretely. Both his new enemies were a good distance away from him, with Katie being closer than her brother. Glenn was right nearby the ice trap; his katana was lowered as he sized Anton up, but from what the wind-user had seen of him, that could change in an instant. He had to get them both focused on him, and quickly.

A voice intruded into his thoughts. "Oh?" Katie spread her hands and shrugged. "You seemed so determined just a moment ago, but now you're just sitting there!" She raised an eyebrow. "It can't be: you didn't go and say that without having any kind of plan, did you? I really can't imagine _anyone _making themselves look that stupid?"

Anton couldn't help but narrow his eyes at that. _"It's not like you gave me much choice, you-"_

"In that case," Katie sighed, "I guess I'll have to make the first move, you bore."

Regardless of how prepared the secretary thought he was, the moment the Lightning Triad closed the distance between them with worrying speed, Anton found that all of it was completely meaningless. Letting out a loud yelp, he swung his baton up into the path of Katie's descending knife, catching the blade across the small rod's length. She didn't even bother pressing down with it, smirking as she sent its twin, tip crackling with electricity, curving in toward his chest.

Of course, there was a difference between panic and stupidity. Quick as the wind, Anton snapped open Akashic, producing a flush of wind in the blade's path in the shape of a swirling barricade. **"Zephyr Ward!"**

The shifting winds of this shield spell were meant to catch an opposing magic attack and subtly redirect it, using up less energy than directly rebounding it like most others; when you were a C ranker, you needed every spare bit of magic you could scrounge up. In theory it could have worked the same on certain close-range attacks as well, but not Katie's. Her thrust was slowed momentarily, but carried on regardless.

Fortunately, that wasn't all there was to this spell. That would be assuming it would always work, and, well, this was Anton. Baton still blocking the first knife, he shifted it to the left as carefully as he could and cried, **"Zephyr **_**Stream**_**!"**

Like music brought higher by a conductor the wind burst into a gale rushing to the left, blowing against Katie, who was pushed back with a cry. Barrier Jackets might have kept out environmental conditions, but magically summoned winds were a different animal altogether. Anton took the window of opportunity, flying past Katie toward Alyssa's prison. As he did so, he sent out a telepathic communiqué.

"_Hello, is anyone there?" _He tried to keep his voice from sounding panicked. _"This is Anton – we have kind of a situation here!"_

Thankfully it only took a moment or two for someone to respond. _"Anton, Dwight here; me and Ace are headed toward your position right now. You sound stressed – did something happen?"_

Flinging out the baton, Anton sent a set of spiraling, twisting wind streams, each tipped by a larger orb, sailing toward Glenn. **"Drive Gust!"**

"_It's a long story," _he continued, _"but two people suddenly showed up, and now Alyssa is trapped in a prison spell! I'm going to try and get her out, but I could really use some back-up soon!"_

Without his face shifting an iota, Glenn snapped up Koshiro and swept the blade in a pattern at all three of the bullets – then grunted in surprise as they swept around the strikes and burst, exploding into a set of binds that pinned his arms to his sides.

"_That's not good." _Dwight stated somewhat obviously. _"Well, just try not to get killed while you're at it. I'd say not to get in over your head, but I guess it's a little late for that. We'll be there soon, so just hang tight."_

"_I was kind of planning on that. Please hurry! Oh, and there's something else you'll need to know when you get here, too!" _Anton said, ending the conversation as he flew up to the ice cage. Glenn was still stuck in his binds, and at the very least, he was fast. Drawing back the baton, he prepared to send it crashing into the prison. Even if he couldn't break it entirely, just causing a small rupture might rouse Alyssa enough for her to finish the job – at least if he remembered his lectures correctly.

He had, but he certainly thought otherwise when the cage's aura suddenly pulsed one moment before it _grew_, expanding quickly and threatening to engulf his entire arm. Gasping, Anton quickly pulled up before he could share the same fate as his commander, putting a few feet between him and the ice sculpture. Thinking desperately, he sent out another set of projectiles at it.

Katie let out a laugh as she suddenly occupied that expanse, slashing them away. Glenn broke his binds and turned in that direction, eyes narrowed further. "Oh, that was good for a laugh. Really, did you think my brother wouldn't plan for that? He might look like a bit of a blank slate, but he's not an _idiot_. Good job dodging it, speaking of – it's nice to see my sister's subordinates aren't imbeciles, at least."

She raised an eyebrow as Anton's expression, worried and slightly desperate until now, suddenly changed to anger. "She's your sister, isn't she? How the hell can you talk about her like that!"

"Sister?" Katie echoed, her own face collapsing into a deep frown. "Hmph. I suppose she must have given you the wrong impression about her, huh?" She pointed a knife toward Anton. "Listen up: we both spent years together with that woman, so don't go spouting off like you know her better than us."

Glenn drew closer and nodded. "She made an error that harmed our family; it's only natural that she face retribution."

Anton tightened his grip on the baton. "R-retribution?" He began to tremble slightly. "You mean you're going to kill her, right?"

"Of course." Katie said airily. "Like you just said, we're her family: if anyone is going to kill her, it'll be us. Glenn has his own reasons, but I can't say I really mind if it goes this way, either." She shrugged. "I don't really know why I'm bothering to tell you this. There's no way you could understand-"

"OF COURSE I WOULDN'T!" Anton suddenly shouted, drowning out anything else the girl had to say. His eyes were wide and livid, his teeth clenched. He was…_angry_. "I'd never understand something like that in a million years! I don't care _what_ excuse you're using for it – you're her family! You can't just treat her this way! It doesn't matter how powerful both of you are, I'm not going to let you kill her!" He exhaled, taking out his inhaler and breathing in deeply.

Slowly, the corner of Katie's mouth shifted into a sneer. "Oh? So suddenly you grow a spine?" She looked back at Glenn. "Brother, stay out of this. I'm going to teach this idiot what it means to insult us!"

Putting away his medicine, Anton was about to take a moment to think about what he had just done, when he shook his head. _"No. I'm an officer of the Bureau. If I run away here, all of what I wanted to do was pointless."_

The book's pages began to flutter in the wind that gathered up around him as Katie quickly lunged for him. The secretary nodded. _"If it's do or die…then let's try, Akashic!"_

"_Yes, Young Master." _intoned the book, a hint of pride in her voice.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Angelo Corporation Ballroom – 1917 Hours**

Quite a few people had left by now, Quattro couldn't help but notice. That was fine by him, he reasoned; if he went to a dinner and a mage battle happened unannounced, he'd certainly leave too. Honestly, the whole thing was nearly enough to make him despair; what sort of degenerates just _gawked_ at people fighting for their lives? _"And the main festivities haven't even begun yet, besides."_

He'd probably get a reputation for having nerves of steel, just sitting here like this. It was almost a shame; having a reputation for criminal plans tighter than the average societal beauty's behind didn't really fly in civilized society. And other criminals generally expressed admiration of such accomplishments by trying to one-up or ruin you, which…wait, that wasn't very different at all from the people he usually dealt with, was it?

Anyway, there was really no need to see anything live when you were associating with people who had devices. Yes, he was eagerly looking forward to the programming tomorrow night! Perhaps he'd indulge in some popcorn while he was at it…

"Um, Mister Quattro?" one of his security men said hesitantly. He couldn't quite recall the man's name; there were so many like him that it was hard to keep track sometimes. D-something, that was for certain. He made a mental note to check the employee listings later. "Are you sure that you don't want to evacuate? It seems to be heating up out there."

Quattro gave D-something his finest smile. "Well, I think that would be rather rude, in my humble opinion." He waved a hand at the lights outside. "After all, the wonderful officers from Section Thirteen are fighting to quell this incident, just as they did this morning. I have no doubt that they'll manage it again here and now."

D-something nodded. "Er…if you say so, sir." Suitably cowed, he settled back into the usual posture of bodyguards everywhere.

"On a separate note," Quattro said, standing up, "I believe I will head to the bathroom now."

On his way there, he flipped open his cell phone. "Barnes? I think that's enough of a warm-up for them. Send in…" he paused for a moment, "…the Specialists." There were some things you had to do.

"_Got it, boss. Man, I hope they capture the look on Dwight's face…"_

"I'm hoping for Miss Stromhold, myself."

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Streets Approaching Ballroom – 1919 Hours**

The streets started getting a bit more crowded as they neared the ballroom – the dinner's 'entertainment' hadn't had very good reception with some of the guests, not to mention people who felt like taking a ride somewhere away from the crazy mage fight. Even if they had the right of way, there was no way they could avoid being slowed down a little. Thankfully Anton had given them something to pass the time.

Dwight frowned and shook his head when his telepathy ended. "Well, none of the others took it as bad as Anton, but Arturia's sure not happy. Then again, not like that's much of a change from usual."

"Was Captain Stromhold upset with you for the bad news at all?" Ace asked/

"Nah," the lieutenant shook his head, "just her usual rosy self." He raised an eyebrow and looked at the corporal. "Wait, why?"

Ace looked straight ahead and shrugged, trying to look casual. "Oh, nothing, really."

Dwight paused for a moment before sighing. "That obvious, huh?"

"A little bit. And I'm not even in the same squad as you."

The sniper thought a moment before shrugging. "It's complicated; a woman like that takes something a bit more than just a few months together. Not sure exactly _what_, though. You'll understand when you meet your own."

Ace blushed. "I – I don't know about that…" He looked out the window, and his eyes widened. "Lieutenant, _duck_!"

"Wha-" Dwight asked, and that half-second was apparently too long for the corporal. Leaning across he grabbed hold of his superior and threw them both low underneath the wheel. Dwight jerked at the steering wheel as a result, and he could feel the car begin to turn sideways. But it wasn't like he could complain, because above them he saw the arrow of light that soared through the front half of the car at a near-impossible angle, breaking both windows and showering them with glass. What must have been another hit one of the wheels a moment later, completely ruining any hope of salvaging its spin. The tires squealed as it spun erratically, before wrapping itself around the front of a street light pole.

For the next few moments, all the lieutenant heard was the sound of someone breathing hard – him. He looked across at Ace, who had also had the sense to activate his barrier jacket during the crash. "Ace – you saved my life back there. Thanks."

"Save it for if we get out of this situation safely." the young man said back, voice growing colder the part of his mind made for fighting taking charge. He looked up carefully at the hood, which was currently billowing up smoke. "I don't think this vehicle can run any longer, and if we remain here, the enemy will pick us off eventually."

Raising an eyebrow at the shift in vocabulary, Dwight nodded. "And depending on how good this guy is at aiming those things," he winced as two quick impacts rattled the car like a dice jar, "he's gonna hit the gas tank sooner or later. I don't know about you, but I probably couldn't walk that off. Don't think I want to try teleporting, either."

Ace looked outside his broken window. "Then we'll have to move." He leaned forward and grabbed the car door, looking back at Dwight. "The next time he fires, follow me. I'll do my best to cover you until we are away from this street."

Dwight couldn't help but find the way his younger companion had just summed up the situation so calmly weird: he wouldn't have batted an eye if it had come from GD, but hearing Ace say it just seemed off "Okay," he said after a moment, "but slow down a bit, alright? You're faster than me."

"Roger."

A tense few moments followed while both officers prepared to move, getting ready to run as fast as they could. Finally, another two shots shook the car, followed by a very sinister hissing noise filling the front cab. "GO!" Dwight shouted, but Ace was already diving out of his door. The lieutenant quickly followed, and it was about then that their little plan turned pear-shaped.

Ace's eyed widened as he looked to the right, one moment before a blur of fur and teeth tackled him to the ground – some kind of familiar that had been lying in wait. Resisting the urge to point his device at it ('it' apparently being the Bureau-space equivalent of a grizzly bear, and one that was naturally a good amount larger than the kind back home; magic was better at stimulating growth than any steroid), Dwight made a show of rolling toward the far side of the street and spraying a few shots aimlessly at the windows there.

It worked. The bear turned toward the sniper and lunged, growling, but this only served to set it up for a kick to the midsection from Ace. It quickly stumbled, grunting, allowing the martial artist to rise and deliver a punch that sent it sliding away. Dwight barely noticed, though, even as it began to apply magic to its claws in an attempt to skewer the annoyance. One of his rifle's shots had illuminated a glowing barrier that extended across the length a hardware store newly open for business. At a second floor window he could glimpse a shadowed figure.

Hunkering down, Dwight charged up the strongest shot he could muster efficiently. If it couldn't break through, they'd just have to run for it.

The other sniper seemed to be charging up their own volley, on a device that looked like some kind of crossbow. People in this civilization certainly had a soft spot for the classics. Theirs fired faster, and with more facets to it; three bolts of energy as opposed to the two from before. They came toward him in a triangular formation, probably designed to keep the target's movement confined.

Dwight threw himself into a wider leap than before, rolling and coming up with the shot fully charged – and then stopped, staring at the arrows that were swooping in toward him. _"Oh, right. Other people can do that, can't they?" _He shut his eyes-

And felt nothing at all. Opening his eyes, he saw someone standing inbetween him and the bullet spells. Just not fully.

"Lieutenant, are you unharmed?" Arturia asked, looking back at him. The shield in her hands stood true against the arrows until they lost cohesion and dissipated. "782 and I were passing by when we saw you and the Corporal here."

Frowning slightly in his head as he realized what had just happened, Dwight nodded to the knightess. "Yeah, I'm," he turned at a noise to see GD help kick the bear away from Ace, "_we're _fine; thanks for the help. But listen, you two should hurry up and go rescue your captain; me and Ace can handle things fine here."

Arturia shook her head. "No, that will not be necessary. From what Anton has said, there are two opponents, and he can barely keep one of them busy as it is. I would likely be noticed by the second if I came near, but you may be able to intervene unnoticed."

Dwight had to admit that made a certain amount of sense, only- "If we're talking about stealth, wouldn't GD be a good idea, too?"

In reply, the girl folded her arms and gave him a look that did a damn good at making you forget she wasn't yet into her twenties. "Alright, then," he sighed, "I'll just defer to your…judgment."

Turning and running over to Ace, he put a hand on the young man's shoulder just as he was about to rush forward. "Ace, we're moving. Leave this to these two."

"Gotcha." the strike arts user said with a nod, speech having returned to normal. "Are we teleporting?"

Dwight shook his head. "They'd," he was cut off as the sniper fired another volley of bolts that were again deflected by Arturia, "notice. Gotta do it the old-fashioned way."

"Right!" With that, Ace turned and began running down the street – much faster than you'd think he'd be able to.

The sniper watched him for a moment._ "...why does it suck so bad to be the normal one?"_

Taking a heavy intake of breath, he followed while thinking – if this had happened to them, then imagine how the other members were faring at the moment? _"Stay safe, Captain."_

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Side Street Nearby Ballroom – 1921 Hours**

"Sorry, still don't know ya."

Shovel placed atop his shoulders, Daniel watched in slight annoyance as the woman before him stamped her foot on the ground in indignation. "But you _have _to know who I am! It's unheard of!"

She pointed at her bespectacled face. "You must have some eye problems, or something! Take another look, and closer this time!"

Sighing, Daniel made the token effort of squinting, only to shrug a moment later. "Still no, sorry."

"Aaaaaaah, how can that be!" she cried, tearing at her hair. "_I'm _not supposed to be a nobody to _you_!"

While the woman underwent her slight tantrum, the archeologist looked over and gave Otavi an apologetic look. She wasn't the first person to have to deal with this kind of crap while hanging out with him. But the girl only held up her hands, shaking her head quickly. Not that that was odd; in his two months associating with her Daniel hadn't seen Otavi even get mildly annoyed.

He turned back to the other apparent archeologist and took a step forward. "Look, I don't really know who the hell you are, so could you just enlighten me already? We're kind of on a tight schedule here, not that you care."

Speaking of Otavi, if her barrier jacket was indicative of the average Belkan's modesty and sense of taste (that chick with the legs notwithstanding), then they'd have probably all balked at what the person barring their way was wearing. She had probably been aiming for historical authenticity, and elegance, but had managed to overshoot into gaudiness and pretentiousness instead. Fuming slightly, she gestured to herself extravagantly. "I suppose you have to make exceptions sometimes for those _beneath_ you. Very well, Daniel Trail, listen well: I am Mercedes-Benz Vito, a famed authority and excavator on Belkan culture – which, I suppose, explains why you haven't heard of me."

Resisting the urge to try and brain her across the head with his shovel, Daniel thought about the name. After a moment, he snapped his fingers loudly. "Ah, now I remember. You were involved in the excavation of that ruin a year or two back on Rinelle, right?"

Mercedes smiled, looking immensely satisfied. "Yes, quite right! I undertook that duty with the utmost-"

"And then didn't bother doing background checks on some of the workers, resulting in several priceless Belkan artifacts getting shunted through various pawn shops." Cradling Lithic in-between his side and arm, Daniel clapped. "Way to go."

The effect was rather like pricking a dozing bull with a needle. "H-how _dare_ you!" she took a step forward, ruffling her skirts a bit in outrage, only to discover why most mages didn't put high heels on their barrier jackets. Daniel resisted the urge to smack his own face as she stumbled for a few moments with a yelp before collapsing onto the pavement.

He did, however, allow himself an eye roll. "As much as I'd like to continue this _riveting _debate, I really should get going onto something that actually, y'know, matters. C'mon, Otavi."

"W-wait one minute, you simpleton!" Mercedes cried, stumbling to her feet with the aid of her device, a gold-and-silver scepter. If it actually was modeled after anything from Ancient Belka, he was prepared to eat Lithic unsealed. "My reputation among people of such lower status is no matter! A few setbacks are nothing in the face of the pursuit of culture!" She pointed the staff toward him, the tip glowing. "But that isn't the case at all with you, Daniel Trail! Your 'efforts' ruin more discoveries than they uncover, and we at the Ancient Belka Preservation Society will not stand for your unjust asylum any longer!"

Daniel might have burst out laughing if this had been the first time he'd run into one of these idiots, and could still entertain the idea that they weren't completely serious. Still, though, this was the first time any one of them had ever really tried this in person. Trying to assassinate someone was kind of bad reputation, so most members just stuck to strongly-worded letters (which he didn't mind; in his business, spare paper was _always_ useful) or rants. _"Then again, it's not like I was an easy guy to pin down until…now…"_

Mercedes frowned, nearly seething as the digger suddenly doubled over into laughter. "And just what the devil are you laughing at, ruffian? I, Mercedes-Benz Vito, am not-"

"Aw shut up, I heard your name already." Daniel said, slamming Lithic into the ground ahead of him and leaning against the handle. "I just realized something, Miss Whatever-Your-Name-Is: if you're working with these guys, and assaulting a Bureau officer to boot, then guess what that makes you? A criminal, I think!" His grin widened. "And if you're a criminal, that means I can do _this_!"

Gripping the shovel's shaft hard, he ripped it out of the pavement hard, the pent-up magic within the device spilling out in a line of jutting spikes that raced toward the young lady. **"Strata Wave!"**

Mercedes inhaled a bit, and then heaved a heavy sigh. "That is the sort of conclusion you'd come to, isn't it?"

Not bothering to hold the scepter with more than one hand (the other busied itself adjusting some of her hair), she lowered the head to the ground and tapped it there, gently.

Daniel stared at what happened next. From the spot of the light prod, the ground seemed to frost over instantly, becoming a shiny, bluish-green substance. Crystal, he realized quickly – almost as quickly as it spread, changing the road around her into the material. His attack was affected as well, stopping cold when the spikes were coated over, making them look like some kind of freakish ice sculpture. Through the slightly transparent substance, he watched as Mercedes started to laugh, free hand over her mouth this time.

"Oh ho ho ho! It seems that I was correct!" she pointed an accusing finger at him. "You use magic to utilize the ground, Daniel Trail, but I wonder how well that will work now that I've worked my own upon it like this? That's your weakness: unlike other mages, you're helpless without other material to use!"

The librarian's face turned blank. _"…well, uh…_shit._"_

Mercedes waved her scepter in an extravagant manner. "Now, begone! **Emerald Splash!"**

The crystal formation that had been his earth shimmered and burst, firing itself in a slew of arrowhead shards straight toward Daniel. He gulped, quickly looking to either side; but no good. The crystal had spread across the ground all nearby, and no way would he be able to dig through it in time. But that didn't mean he had no way of getting away from attacks. He still could, just a little…messier.

Everyone usually had some smart remarks to say about Daniel's height (totally _original_ material, like 'how's the weather down there', too), but they usually didn't take into account how useful that was in his line of work. Few booby traps were fully designed for targeting someone of his height, and even the sentinels that safeguarded those ruins were typically programmed for men of better stature. So, when he rolled quickly to the right, most of the emerald shards that would have hit taller people missed by inches, leaving him unharmed by any direct shots that his barriers couldn't simply shift aside.

Annoyingly, the shards that hit the crystalline ground didn't seem to affect it in the least, appearing to sink into it without incident. Even worse, he was quickly realizing that not only did the crystal prevent him from digging in the immediate area, it also made things damn slippery. She might look, talk like, and even be an airhead, but she'd thought this out pretty well. _"Otavi, we're outta here!" _he called, and sped up with the sure knowledge that his partner was coming. He sure as hell didn't like to admit it, but Mercedes was right – there was no way he could fight her, or at least not here. Better to get to the others, and have them-

"And exactly where are you going, hm?" Mercedes voice called from behind, along with the unmistakable sound of her device touching the ground again. **"Sapphire Wall."**

A large, more bluish wall shot up out of the crystal field ahead of him, forcing Daniel to stop in his tracks. He might have had time to fume about the plagiarism of using a technique like this, if another hadn't happened in the form of the ground underneath him shifting. Mercedes called out some spell name, and it was a good thing other people didn't have to hear those for them to work, as he was too busy hurling himself to one side with a loud yell.

Sure enough, glittering spikes leaped out from the ground, darting up to impale him. Quickly Daniel swung Lithic down toward them, and thankfully managed to get the shovel in-between the crystals and him. This didn't nullify the momentum behind them in the least, though, and he found himself sailing down the rest of the street, landing with a grunt up against a building's front wall.

A bit woozy from the rough treatment, Daniel looked up with a groan – to see another volley of the emerald shards flying at him. He gulped, but his flight had put him in reach of material he could actually use. Reaching up, he sunk his arm into the wall. **"Rock Armor: Shield!"**

Well, not technically rock, but it would do. The material swarmed across his arm, forming itself into a wide shield that he shoved outward, ducking under it as best he could. The barrage quickly eroded his makeshift protection, and a few of the crystals clipped right through his barrier jacket in a few places, drawing blood from his shoulder.

Gritting his teeth, he looked across the road at Otavi, who was staring at him with some concern. _"Dammit, can't let her see me like _this_." _He struggled to his feet. _"I doubt she'll be much use in this kind of terrain, either…I gotta think of something, and _quick_!"_

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 **

**Planet Gardius – Crossroads Close to Ballroom – 1924 Hours**

Jeanne slowly took a drag from her latest cigarette.

Across from her, as if to match the consumption of harmful substances, the man who had barred her way took a swig from his bottle of alcohol (she had no idea what kind – all of that stuff was disgusting), swaying a bit where he stood.

Speaking of the shifting of liquid, that was far from the only sound of coming from this part of the street. Jeanne looked to either side, where several fountains' worth of her water stood at the ready for any move she was prepared to make with them. Most anyone who had seen her in action would know that they could defend nearly perfectly, and smother almost any form of attack.

She turned her gaze across the street to what might have been one of the few exceptions to that claim. The magic on the other side of the intersection didn't flow so much as crawl, and with an ever-present hissing noise. Jeanne watched as part of the pavement the green-black liquid oozed over crumbled and collapsed a little more. Setting up a barrier around here as quickly as she had was definitely a good move: acid magic was a nightmare for a defensive mage, but ten times worse for any environment it was used in.

"Seems like we're at a wee bit of a, *hic*, standoff, eh?" the man standing amidst the pool of it said, shrugging listlessly. "Maybe you should just get lose then, 'Miss'. You're already butt ugly, so making you look even _worse_ would just be like kicking a little dog."

Jeanne blew out a plume of smoke toward him, sneering from behind the cigarette. "Aw, no need to sell yourself short there. You're plenty ugly already, and it's all-natural, too: I'm definitely beat."

Even he didn't seem prepared to argue that point. Even from where she stood Jeanne could see the grease that sat in his black hair and dark skin, which seemed to be accented well by the black, trench-coat barrier jacket he wore. He shrugged. "Guess you don't care, huh? Can't say I expected differently. With the work we're in, you can either do your job well or do it clean – not both."

Narrowing her eyes, Jeanne tightened her grip on Flashpoint. "I'd sort of prefer not to be compared to a smuggler like you, Gibbs Python. What exactly did you take a break from sneaking in to come here? Drugs? Weapons?" Her frown deepened. "Animals?"

"I prefer not to get my businesses mixed up, thank you." Gibbs replied. "After all, on the one hand I have sort of a reputation for getting things to people carefully. And, well," he took another swig, swished and swallowed, "the way you're leaving ain't gonna be exactly _subtle_."

Dropping the bottle to let it smash on the ground, he twirled the device in his hands; like Alyssa's it was a pole-arm weapon, but a harpoon rather than a spear. It dripped more of the acid as he spun it before jabbing it toward Jeanne. **"Black Bomb."**

Gathering up into a few bubbles, the acid flew up into the air before bursting into a hail of drops that sailed down toward Jeanne. She frowned, making a 'tch' noise before snapping her fingers. The nearby water swirled in toward her, flowing together to form a wall against the attack. When the acid struck the water, though, it began to hiss and boil, quickly evaporating as the corrosive fluid made its way through to meet Captain Stromhold's second line of defense. She'd strengthened her barriers as soon as she'd seen the water wasn't going to cut it completely, but even they couldn't completely contain the acid: a few drops slipped through to land on her barrier jacket. It too started smoking briefly, but thankfully stopped there.

"Wow, impressive." Gibbs murmured, watching her. "Usually when I try that on tough nuts like you, they end up a little less…composed."

Jeanne shrugged. "There isn't a whole lot of difference between mages like you and a disaster, really, and I'm a rescue worker: it shouldn't be that surprising. Especially since Quattro hired you to go after me specifically, I'm guessing."

Inside her head, though, the woman's thoughts were less lethargic. _"Alright, so my water isn't going to work with his attacks; not one-to-one, anyway. Not like I can't get creative with water, but this guy seems about as used to his magic as I am with mine." _She couldn't help but frown at the prospect of a battle of wits. It wasn't that Jeanne was particularly bad at fighting, but she could never really seem to read a human opponent the way she could, for example, a ten story blaze. Both could be chaotic, certainly, but the fire at least was in areas she could predict. It was tough to explain.

Gibbs nodded. "Aye, you're right on the money there. Pretty good match-up, too: most of what I bring to the table doesn't work so well on fliers. Lucky for me, eh?" He tapped the harpoon's bottom against the ground. **"Melting Wave."**

The acid began to churn and bubble, gathering up into a low-lying wall behind the man, all of it combined making the pavement creak dangerously in that area. He smiled as he gave his harpoon another twirl before jabbing it at Jeanne again. "Let's see if you can dodge this, shall we?" With that, the wave swept forward, not affecting Gibbs in the least as it came toward her.

But Jeanne had already figured out how she was going to dodge this. Good thing Quattro apparently hadn't done the research on all of what Flashpoint was capable of. At her command, a section on the device's side had opened, exposing a valve that she was just finishing turning to the left. The hose shivered slightly in her hands, making a hissing sound as she leveled it at the oncoming wave.

"**Boiler Gatling." **Flashpoint murmured. **"Fire."**

The three hose-barrels began to spin once more, but the water that left them this time was very different – instead of the clear, blue substance that had come before, it was now boiling red hot. Gibbs' eyes widened as the red stream collided with his poisonous magic and began to melt through right away, a cloud of steam beginning to form as it burned away at the acid.

The wave collapsed completely a few moments before it could reach Jeanne and lost its momentum. Gibbs took an uneasy step backward, but fortunately for him, the device metaphorically clicked empty as its movement ceased. "So, do you see the-"

She was cut off by Gibbs abruptly charging; from someone who'd only moved in gradual, slow shifts so far, it came as a surprise that caught Jeanne off-guard. The captain would have sent off another shot but he closed the distance too quickly, striking out with his harpoon and forcing her backward into dodging, along with using Flashpoint as a makeshift shield.

"_Dammit, one step forward two steps back…" _Jeanne swore, ducking back under a slice of the harpoon. The tip of it was coated with acid; if he got her with that, it wouldn't be something she could just shrug off. _"Like I didn't have enough problems today…"_

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Hardware Store – 1928 Hours**

Arturia frowned as a few of her bolts panged off the barrier the attacker had set up. Even with Frangir in his Arbalest Form, the shots she fired had had no apparent effect: whoever was behind it, he had prepared for this well.

Backing away and then throwing up a barrier against the next hail of arrows, she decided to switch her strategy. And as many people knew, this, to a Belkan practitioner, meant doing largely the same but more. Loading two cartridge's worth of energy (most Belkan practitioners not believing in half measures, as many could also attest) into her device, Arturia flew up higher and angled the ballista down toward the window. Fortunately for whoever owned the shop, she had had the foresight to put up a barrier; she didn't share a certain captain's recklessness, after all.

Naturally, it was impossible to miss the beacon of Frangir charging from this close, and the criminal appeared to not want to take the chance of her unleashing it upon them. In addition to the new hail of arrows at her now stationary position, the bear familiar uttered a roar and threw GD aside, bounding toward the one threatening its master and leaping up toward her.

Arturia grit her teeth as she saw that both attacks would hit her simultaneously; she could most likely shield against both, but this technique required her to stay motionless. _"As I thought, their primary objective is to waste our time." _And irritating though it was, it seemed that had succeeded now-

With the bear as close as it was, she was able to see its feral face crumple into confusion, one moment before it fell back down to earth. As she weathered the arrow's blows, the knight looked down to see GD hurl the beast into the pavement, jumping on top to pin it to the floor. _"…it would seem I have misjudged him yet again, I see…"_

The charge reached suitable levels a few moments later – perhaps a bit less, but there was only so long 782 could be relied on to contain such a raging beast. Arturia tightened her grip on Frangir's hilt as she cried out. "Now, strike!** LAUS CALAMUS**!"

"_**Laedo!"**_

The magical blast loosed itself like a miniature corona, and it seemed Arturia had no reason to worry: the barrier was no match for her attack, bursting underneath its force. She stared at the smoke cloud that billowed out from what was left of both the window and the entire wall. "Well?" she called. "If you do not feel like surrendering yet, I can always fire another!"

"_**Warning: Lady Lackland!"  
**_

At times 782's blunt mannerisms were useful, though irritating. Arturia looked down, but unfortunately a bit too late. A longer than average arrow flew through her blind spot, the head reshaping itself once it had into a manacle that wrapped itself around her leg. Whilst ordinarily she would rightly scoff at the idea of attempting to chain a flying mage, now she let out a startled cry as she was forced down, the chain somehow increasing her weight several-fold. As a result, she hit the ground a moment later without any time to adjust her fall.

Arturia tried to rise, but the line was given a sharp tug, dragging her backward on the pavement. Her instincts suddenly sent a suggestion, and she gladly obeyed it, thrusting her head to one side and concentrating on defense. The bolt came one moment later, slicing into her neck and continuing on to make a large hole in her chest-plate. While the enemy realigned their shot behind her, the knightess gripped Frangir tightly and plunged him into the ground, using the sword as a balance to quickly pull herself back onto her feet. Spinning around as soon as she was, Arturia blocked the next arrow with a hasty, sadly wasteful shield, and finally got a good look at her and the Lieutenant's attacker.

He was surprisingly short; enough to be dwarfed by every member of either squad save for the Librarian (although, as Alyssa would no doubt delight in pointing out, it was far less so in her case); certainly a deceptive size if his fit form and the wound she now sported were any indication. Short russet and blue eyes hair sat below a wide-brimmed hat, part of his barrier jacket, which currently the color of the surrounding buildings. Currently because Arturia quickly realized who this man was.

"Johnathan Wrangler," she breathed, eyes narrowing as she shifted Frangir back to his original form, "I see that merely hunting in the Church's endangered reserves was not enough to sate you for long."

The man stared at her dully, toying with his crossbow device's settings. "Member of the Saint Church? Figured. Don't think I know your family, but…don't really care."

Arturia tried to keep her temper from flaring up at that last comment. "I don't think I care much if a criminal knows me or not – it changes nothing here. You came here to hunt Bureau mages, did you not?" He shrugged apathetically, but she continued, shifting into a proper combat stance despite her manacled foot, the chain of which lead to his left arm. "Then I will be glad to show you why you have picked the wrong unit as your prey. And I will be _more _than happy to take retribution upon you with my blade!"

Johnathan's sullen frown slowly turned upward as he aimed his crossbow at her. "_Now _you're speaking my language!"

Nearby, GD stuck out his legs to prop up against a building wall to keep his back from being shoved into it by the bear, GD kept his hands over the beast's snapping jaws as he looked over at his lady. **"Observation: it is good to see Lady Lackland so energetic today."**

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Skies over Ballroom – 1930 Hours**

Somewhat surprisingly, as all this was going on, Anton was still in his fight, and actually had yet to receive any non-superficial wound. These facts were not lost on his opponent. _"…I guess there's a bit more to this idiot than meets the eye." _Katie admitted reluctantly. He didn't seem to have any real sense of strategy, even if he wasn't trying to defeat her directly. He'd either try to get around after making some useless distraction with his wind, or just fire off spells, apparently hoping one of them would reach the ice cage. Occasionally he'd stop, breathing hard as he put some weird device to his mouth. Attacking while he did that would be like kicking a puppy, really, and who knew? Maybe it would give him time to see the mistake he'd made.

The negative reinforcement she had tried to use for that purpose wasn't quite doing the job, anyway. He had almost no power, and she could definitely rip him apart if she managed to get her hands on him, but what he _was _was slippery. No matter what attack she thought was a direct hit, he'd always turn it into a scrape, or an entire miss. Katie focused her eyes on him – it was difficult to see even if she was a mage, but surrounding the bespectacled secretary now was an aura of wind, and a deceptively powerful one at that. The subtle ways they blew, combined with Anton's darting, panicked movements, meant that most of her up-close repertoire wasn't working out so well. That was because there wasn't a need for her to really _try _at the moment, but she still had to give him some credit.

Not aloud, though. "It's been more than ten minutes since you made that little comment of yours," Katie called up to him, "shouldn't you have realized yet that boasts aren't going to let you beat me? I'm a little disappointed, actually; you look smarter than my sister, and look where brute force got her." She nodded her head toward the ice prison.

His eyes darted toward there, narrowing for a moment, before returning to their normal calmness. That was the weirdest thing: ever since his outburst, the four-eyes had become completely calm. She'd tried out a few taunts like that, but nothing had really seemed to faze him. Katie looked toward her sister again, this time slightly to the side, at Glenn. Yeah, she could only remember him getting angry once or twice during their time all together, but when his patience _was _broken…you couldn't tell that it had at all. She frowned. _"So why the hell is he reminding me of that? Compared to when _that _happened, he's nothing at all!"_

"Actually," Anton said finally, adjusting his glasses, "I was just about finished trying it this way now. Sorry if I annoyed you with it."

Apologies like that were always a sign of trouble – when they were given by _other _people, of course. "So, do you have anything more appropriate for you? I'd suggest running away, myself, but-"

The wind mage's voice cut her off. "Now is when I really get started. I hope you're prepared."

"Wow, now _that's _certainlybig talk!" Katie said with a condescending smirk. "But do you really expect me to believe _you _believe them?"

Anton stared at her for a moment. "No."

This simple admission was enough to make her stare back, eyes open in utter surprise. Then she had to laugh. "That's the first thing you've said so far that's made any sense!" Katie waved an arm at him. "Go ahead, then: I could always use more laughs."

He stared at her for a moment longer, took a deep breath, and-

"_Hey, Anton, we're here."_

The secretary blinked, and looked down to the road, where Dwight and Ace were now standing, the latter waving up at him. _"Still alive, huh? Well, no worries now." _

Anton cut him off before he could ready his device. _"Wait. There's something more important right now."_

Despite the lieutenant being so far away, he could sense him raising an eyebrow. _"Right, I forgot – okay, what's the deal?"_

Keeping his eyes on Katie (who folded her arms, looking at him), Anton explained what was going on. Thankfully Dwight was calm enough to take it all in without flying off the handle.

Ace, on the other hand… _"WHAT! Holy smokes, we'd better-"_

Dwight put a steady hand on his arm. _"That building there, Anton?" _He nodded toward the skyscraper Doctor Forrester had singled out. When Anton confirmed, he surveyed the situation and asked, _"Are you _positive_ you don't want back-up? There's no concrete count-down, right?"_

"_No," _Anton replied, _"that just means it could go off in an hour, ten minutes, or even while we're taking right now. I don't think Alyssa would want to get rescued if it meant most of the city getting destroyed, do you?"_

The sniper paused for a moment and then said, with a slight chuckle, _"I guess that's speaking from you knowing her for what, a couple of days? She does seem to have that effect on people, I suppose."_

He moved over toward the building, Ace following behind him. _"But just keep in mind; I doubt she'd want you to get yourself killed saving her, either. So be careful, and that's an order."_

"_Yessir! Remember, it should be somewhere below ground!"_

Katie cocked her head to one side and exhaled, stretching her arms out and sending a flash of lightning sizzling past his cheek. The secretary didn't appear to notice, but that didn't stop her from challenging, "Are you quite done yet? Or is your plan nothing but a lot of standing around?"

Anton actually smiled. "Not exactly?"

In hindsight, Katie reasoned, what the four-eyes did next was fairly easily explained. He'd evidently been building up the wind around him for quite some time, and now let it all burst at once, achieving an effect similar to wind assaulting your ears on a particularly nasty day only amplified many times over. At the moment though, she was quite occupied by the horrible, focused pain to figure out how he had caused it. Letting out a screech, she bent over, paralyzed by the brief sensation.

But that was what intelligent devices were for, wasn't it? Focusing enough to snap up hands, she put her magic at the ready and waited for Coltello to fry the little fu-

"_Mistress, target has been lost." _stated the twin daggers simply.

_What_? He'd done all that just to _run away_! Clever _and_ spiteful; something after her own heart. But now there wouldn't be a hole deep enough on the planet for him to hide. Fury crossing her features, she looked up, and saw exactly what Coltello had meant.

"_Goddamned cloning spells." _Katie swore. She should have expected him to use a cheap trick like this. There were now ten or so Antons floating in place around the area, and a survey of all of them showed that they weren't amateur copies: each and every one of them seemed to genuinely be the young man. But then, they'd have to be if he had managed to fool _her _device.

Sure enough, the quickly-increasing-in-annoyance took the confusion one level further by all of his new selves suddenly moving at once. But whether they came from above, below, across or some combination of the three, they were all flying toward Alyssa. _Just _flying, however. He must not be as capable at faking projectiles as bodies – besides, that might have been a clue for her. This guy was definitely smarter than he looked. And now that he new about the sneak attack Glenn's spell had, all it would take was for him to get close…

But there was no way in hell she'd let that happen. Dispelling these clones would be child's play for her, and then she'd show him why trying desperate tactics on one of the Triad's children wasn't a good idea.

Backing away, Katie began to spin both halves of Coltello in the manner of someone well-versed in handling knives: quick and deadly. Lightning gathered on the blades. _**"Strobe Lightning."**_the device purred, as the gathered element unleashed itself in a series of quick, lancing bolts. Two sailed through a pair of Antons coming from the top and bottom, making them burst into wind. The rest went through others coming from the left and right – only for two more to appear from slightly to the side and continue forward.

"_What!" _the girl's eyes widened. Had she counted them wrong? No, that wasn't possible, and she'd certainly have felt if he had made more. _"They didn't burst like the others, either. It was like they…hadn't been there at all."_

Backing further away toward the cage, she squinted. Now that she had reason to notice it, the air in front of her had become strange, like there was now some extra thickness to it despite the clear weather. But what was currently the weather didn't necessarily have to matter when you were fighting a mage, did it? Beads of sweat dripped down Katie's forehead. _"Earlier, when he sent out all that wind! I-it's affecting what I see somehow!_

Panicking a bit, she sent off more bolts. One of them dispelled another Anton clone, but only through luck. That realization made her grit her teeth. He'd made her, Katie Triad, rely on _luck_. He was going to pay, and he was going to pay hard. She looked down at her device. "Coltello, we'll have to use that."

The device paused as briefly as a computer could, as though processing the implications of that. _"Very well, Mistress." _

Katie closed her eyes and concentrated: this attack required her and the device act in perfect harmony. She built up the magic, lightning building up around her, while Coltello plotted her path. All the while the four-eyes came closer to undoing her victory, but it didn't matter. This was as close as someone like him could get against her.

She hurried the technique a bit more than she would have ordinarily, but it didn't matter much. Even a glancing hit from this would be enough to finish him. Readying herself, she held the knives straight out. "It's over! **LIGHTNING RAVE!**"

The lightning mage quickly vanished in a technique similar to a Flash Move, but far more offensively than it was usually performed. Body wreathed in lightning, Katie quickly flew through each of the Anton copies: her vision might have been skewed by both the wind and her own speed now, but this was solved by the aura lashing out in all directions when she neared. Sure enough, wind brushed by her lightly every time.

Eventually there was only one left, right nearby the ice prison. Glenn floated nearby, folding his arms as he watched with some interest. Useless idiot. She increased her speed.

By this time Anton was bent slightly, breathing rapidly and hard. He was pretty good at multi-tasking with spells (or at least other people told him so), but by now he felt like adrenaline was the only thing keeping him in the air. _"Hopefully it helps with attack spells, too…" _he breathed out as wind built up around the tip of the baton. Honestly, he had no idea if this would hurt Alyssa at all, or even if it would actually hurt the cage, but…well, there was no but. He'd just have to see.

"_Young Master!" _Akashic called out. He looked up.

The scream that came out of his lips was probably loud enough to be heard halfway across the city. At least, that was what it felt like to his own ears. His barrier jacket might as well have been wet paper, and he twitched slightly as the electricity around the knife pumped into him. She must have turned the power down, or it probably would have killed him outright.

"Oh, stop whining, it's only your shoulder." Katie said, giving the blade a cruel twist and watching the red spot spread. "Well, your shoulder bone, anyway. I didn't expect it to go all the way through, though," she added, tapping her cheek with the handle of the other. "I was thinking of giving you a bit more than this, but I don't really see the point, now: no way you'll get any more pathetic of a sight than this."

A smile came to her lips. "How about this? Apologize, and I might think about letting you go. We all have stupid impulses sometimes: at least now you'll have a life lesson to remember about them."

Unbelievably, his lips actually started to move, and not just to groan. It was a bit too quiet for her to hear, though. She leaned forward. "Hm? Speak up, please."

Anton stared at her for a moment, leaned forward himself, inhaled deeply and said, "You…_lose_."

"_**Storm Purge."**_

The next thing Katie knew, the sections of his barrier jacket that hadn't been torn by her stab suddenly exploded into a shockingly powerful wind tunnel. Coltello threw up a barrier to keep her from being hurled back (a fortunate thing for Anton – having the knife ripped out might have been worse than being stabbed to begin with), but she wasn't the target of the counter-move in the least. She looked behind her at Alyssa's prison to see the wind engulf it, parts of the ice breaking off and being torn to shreds by the ripping gales.

It lasted only a few moments, but Katie watched with horrified fascination. By the time the wind subsided, the ice cage had been reduced significantly in size, and now sported quite a few holes. Glenn stared at the aftermath appraisingly. A few moments passed.

Then Katie relaxed, laughing. "Ah. What a perfect punchline to this whole thing. I'm not sure you have the right job; you'd be a perfect comedian." She turned back to watch Anton's blank expression, smiling. "It's a shame you decided to say that to me, or you'd have the chance." She lifted the other knife up high-

-and behind her, the ice exploded into a pyre of flame. As close as he was, Anton had the perfect view to see her eyes open in shock – and perhaps, fear. Katie quickly removed the knife from his shoulder, and turned around just in time to meet a spear shaft coming at her face. The auto-barrier wasn't quite enough to stop it; maybe she'd used too much magic? The lightning mage's nose burst into crimson as the person responsible swung further, hurling her away.

Anton barely noticed this, though. The pain was just too much, and he was completely spent. Vision blurring, he fell forward onto a friendly arm.

"Yo, Anton." Alyssa looked down at the secretary and smiled. "Thanks."

He mumbled something back. Well, she'd tell him again later.

The smile shifted in tone a bit as she noticed his wound, and her eyes travelled to Katie. "I guess some things never change, huh, Katie?"

Her only answer was a glare. Alyssa sighed as she looked between her two siblings. "Yep, you both haven't changed at all: why should you, right? You both always thought you were better than me, and hey, now you have a _perfect _excuse to try and prove it without dad smacking you across the head."

"Shut your mouth, you-" Katie burst out, voice already sounding nasally.

"No, I won't," Alyssa said, "because you know what, Katie? I _have _changed - you two just made me forget that. And you also made me remember, right now. So I don't have to listen to any of your mindgames anymore. Things have changed, even if you don't want to admit it."

She gave Bowie a wide spin. "But if you two really want to go through with this 'I was his favorite, not you' shit, then fine. I just have one thing to say."

The spear's point ended up pointed at the two of them, fire lighting the tip. "Bring it."

_To be continued…_

_Next time, as Alyssa begins a rematch against her siblings, and the other officers continue their respective battles, Dwight and Ace attempt to find and defuse the bomb before it can go off on half the city. Quattro is no fool, however, and has placed his best man in charge of guarding it: Barnes. The two attempt to defeat him, but as they do, some…peculiarities occur._

_Find out what in Lizards, Dogs, and Lightning, coming soon._

Tiresias – Yeah, I pretty much just meant for that to show how they fight people their size, since that's obviously going to happen a lot more than fighting War Armors in this story. I hope this chapter answered your question well – and rest assured, Dwight and Ace won't be getting off too easy in the next one, either.

Well, that's all, folks. See ya next chapter.


	7. Lizards, Dogs and Droids

Now it's time for the last two Section Thirteen officers to get their chance to shine.

**Section Thirteen**

**Chapter Seven: Lizards, Dogs, and Lightning**

**Planet Gardius – Building Containing Bomb Signature – 1932 Hours**

"Dwight, are you really sure we should just leave him there?"

The lieutenant looked back at Ace as they approached the building's double doors. The lobby was well-lit, and he could see a few people near the glass looking out at the fight – and now them. Depending on how calm they were at the moment (and yeah, enough elements for a Storm of the Year sailing right by your window was really the kind of thing that chilled people out), a duo of law enforcement paying a visit probably wouldn't look very good. He was careful to keep Gates lowered as he replied. "You heard him, didn't you, Ace? When a guy talks like that, he isn't just blowing smoke. Besides, he had a point – and it's not like we'd be much helping him fight someone in the air, yeah?"

"I suppose." Ace said hesitantly.

Dwight looked up at the skyscraper's sign as they approached it. Unsurprisingly given the district it was in, it seemed to be a corporation building: aside from the Angelo Corporation, pretty much all of the major businesses were branches from larger ones. None of the Section Thirteen officers were really news people, but they picked up enough of it for them to get the picture: none of them were doing very good business in comparison.

This building was home to Rafflesia Industries – interesting choice of name – a major rival to Quattro's company. And now the signal of a dangerous bomb was right in its vicinity; funny, the kind of coincidences that happened everyday, wasn't it? _"Actually, weren't the municipal guys talking about this a few days ago?" _It was something to check later, anyway.

The doors opened as they approached, and Dwight stepped through, raising a hand at the onlookers and smiling. "Evening, folks. Nice night, isn't it? Except for the weather, I guess." No-one laughed, but to be fair, that stinker probably would have got the same reaction in different circumstances anyway. Ace following behind him, he walked up to the front desk.

Manning it was a not-quite-young lady who seemed a bit more composed than everyone else, although it was clear she was trying very hard not to think about what was going on outside. She looked up and flashed him a smile that was a tad bit more than that of a typical greeter's. "Good evening, gentlemen," she said, adjusting her hair as she looked between the two, "I assume you're not here for an appointment?"

"_Good to see I'm not the only one making bad jokes today." _Dwight mused before holding up his device, barrel pointed carefully away. Gates' jewel eye flashed once before projecting his Bureau credentials. "I'm Lieutenant Jacobs, from Section Thirteen. This is Sergeant Spade." He heard the whistle of air as Ace snapped a salute with break-neck speed behind him.

He thought about the best way to put this – there really was no 'good' way, after all. "I guess it's pretty obvious that we're here about what's going on outside, huh?" Dwight leaned forward, lowering his voice. "Try to keep calm, miss, but we have good reason to believe there's a timed explosive device hidden in or around this building and its property."

Holding up a finger to gently shush her before she could speak, he continued. "Before you ask, no, we don't know exactly where it is, or when exactly it's going to go off. But we _do _know it's soon." This wasn't exactly the truth, but he'd be willing to bet good money this was far from the first time someone had used a white lie in this sort of situation. "Who's still in the building right now?"

Shock and restrained panic were clear in the woman's eyes, but she retained composure enough to reply. "Mostly just people who're working overtime, or got stuck with lousy shifts." It was quite easy to tell from her tone that she was in the latter category. "There's also some janitors and night security, and a few supervisors."

On paper that was good, but even a few people would take a while to evacuate in a building like this. "Where's the person in charge of this branch?"

She shrugged. "Across the street, probably, if he hasn't gone home yet. _I _would."

Dwight nodded. "Alright, after this send a message to whoever's highest on the ladder, and tell them to call an evacuation. Say it's a fire drill or something." He looked around. "Now, does this building have a basement, or a parking garage?"

"Uh, no," the receptionist replied, a bit put-off by the question, "we have a back area on the first floor for that, and an area around back for cars. The rock we're on is too tough to dig through normally, I heard, and they probably didn't want to bother hiring a mage for something you can just put above ground."

Yep, frivolous expenses were definitely something legitimate, non-megalomaniacal businessmen had to worry about. The sniper thought further for a moment. "Where are the stairs?"

She pointed wordlessly to a door on the other side of the lobby. Dwight nodded respectfully to her and walked off in that direction, Ace following behind him, naturally. On the way there, an odd sensation ran down his spine. He looked around quickly, but there was no-one around – or at least no-one who could have caused a feeling like that. Someone else might have simply brushed it off as nerves, but the lieutenant had learned a long time ago to pay attention to things like that. Increasing his grip on Gates as they stepped through the doorway, he shut the door carefully behind them.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius? – Location Unknown – 1935 Hours?**

"Damn, I think he noticed I was there. Better put that down, Leonard; their sniper's got good instincts."

Casting a side-long glance at Lacerta, the roboticist replied with a frown, "Yes, yes, I'll make a note of it. Just try not to put it to the test, will you? Either one of those two could tear that alpha unit apart."

Grace snorted. "Sure, if you say so. I'm not an idiot, Leonard – if there's a chance of them leading us to the Logia, why ruin it?" She tapped her chin. "That crime boss probably has someone guarding it, so with any luck, they'll take each-other out and leave the spoils for us."

"Speaking of which, I wonder if Cashim is anywhere nearby." the old man said, peering at the computer screen. "I keep asking Cypher about a proper tracker, but the answer is always no. It would make things so much easier, too." He typed in a few commands, mirroring the movements of the girl next to him.

In the VR booth, Grace shrugged. "You should've expected that reaction from him when it comes to his pet. I swear, he's worse than you sometimes."

Leonard bristled. "And just _what_ is-"

"Anyway, if I follow them right now, he'll definitely know something's up. I'll watch from the window, then slip in once they go up a flight or so."

"I'm on the edge of my seat."

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Rafflesia Industries, Gardius Branch, stairwell – 1935 Hours**

The room they found themselves in was fairly small and cramped, even for its function, and also very deserted. Dwight had seen a few elevators nearby on the walk up, and if the people working here were smart, they'd stick to them: more than a few people in his group had taken some nasty falls down stairs during jobs, and he'd never understand why people thought they were _safer _than elevators.

True to the receptionist's word, there was no stairwell leading downward, but underneath the first set of them was a little alcove with an emergency exit. Crouching a bit, Dwight stepped into it and looked around appraisingly. "Now, let's see here…"

Ace hung back a bit, not wanting to distract the lieutenant while he was concentrating. On exactly what, he didn't know, but the nice thing about working with a team was that there was always someone to explain things.

Dwight looked down at his device after a few moments. "Gates, do an area search – down, please."

"_Yes sir."_

A tiny orange dot flickered into being above the rifle's eye, and it zipped down into the concrete floor. After a second or two, Gates spoke again, in a reporting tone of voice. _"Spell was disrupted after less than five feet, sir. Source appears to be an Anti-Magic Field."_

"Yeah, I could feel it," Dwight said with a nod, "did you get anything before it happened?"

"_Foundation appears to become a different material several feet down. Coupled with presence of an AMF seems rather suspicious, sir."_

The sniper nodded. "Seems that way." He stepped back a bit, then held up Gates and narrowed his eyes. Around them the stairwell wavered slightly as the immediate area was covered by a barrier. The corporal blinked as Dwight turned to him. "Ace, I think this is your job," he said, indicating the concrete floor, "time to see just what's down there."

Ace stared for a moment before realization hit him. "Oh, now _that _I can do!" Grinning, he walked up to the indicated spot and stooped, gauging himself.

Leaning up against the wall, Dwight watched him. "So," he asked conversationally, "how long do you think it'll-"

He trailed off wordlessly as Ace's arm broke through the stone floor up to his wrist, getting as much resistance from it as a wet paper bag. And while that would have been an impressive feat of the Strike User's skill, by the look on his face he was just as surprised. Perhaps he had heard the sound Dwight had, as well: the heavy clunk of something hitting metal, hard.

Pulling his arm out of the hole he'd made, he patted the material around it. "H-hey!" he cried. "Dwight, this part of the floor is a fake!"

"What?" Walking forward, the lieutenant stooped and felt it himself. Indeed, what would seem to be cement at first glance was in-fact a section of highly made plaster sturdy enough to pass as part of the floor, but not enough to withstand, for example, a lightning-charged gauntlet smashing into it. Moving around a bit, Dwight patted the area with his hands to judge exactly how wide it was – not very.

He stepped back and motioned to Ace. "Somehow I doubt the company decided to skimp on building materials in one part of one area. Get rid of it, Ace."

A few more punches, and the fake floor crumbled. Dwight couldn't help but notice how perfect an outline was around it. When exactly had it been put here? But that was an afterthought, second to what he saw underneath: a wide metal trapdoor built into the deeper part of the foundation. Before he could open his mouth, the corporal was already moving to open it.

As he did, it became apparent that it didn't open upward, but slid out to the side. Judging by the handles present on the top and underside, this could be done coming _or _going.

The sight of it jogged Dwight's memory on something: namely, what the police had been talking about. Raflessia Industries had reported evidence of theft in their building just recently. Mostly business stuff – marketing strategies they were going to employ, price raising or lowering, things like that. There hadn't been any signs of a forced entry, a scouring of the employees had amounted to nothing, and an investigation had been much the same.

Apparently he'd found something a little bit more than just a bomb.

"Watch your head, Ace," he said, "we're going spelunking."

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Skies over Ballroom – 1936 Hours**

Katie's breath went in, out, in, out, slowly. Sure, her entire plan had come unraveled in the span of a few minutes by someone she'd never have expected to accomplish something like that, but getting angry about it wouldn't help anything, right? Especially against Alyssa, who-

"Something _wrong_, Katie? You look a little flushed."

-_really _wasn't helping things at the moment. Gritting her teeth, she tried to quell the desire to rip her sister's head off. Getting in touch with someone calmer (if less competent) would help, and was probably something she should have already done. _"Barnes, can you hear me?"_

"_Yep." _murmured the large man calmly. _"I'm guessing something came up if you're bothering to call?"_

She beat down a growl, and continued. _"Two of the officers got into the building were we have those _arrangements _set up. You might want to be prepared in case they find them." _He might have been interested about the identity of one of them, but that probably wasn't something Katie would have told in a very good mood.

She half-expected him to complain, or ask questions, but that was stupid. It was Barnes' job to take orders, and he was at least smart enough to know it. _"Right," _he said, _"I'll take that as permission for me to slip off the kid gloves, then." _The bodyguard paused. _"Speaking of, you seem a little drained. Something happen?"_

"_Nothing. _Absolutely _nothing."_

Barnes displayed all the necessary tact for someone who had just stressed 'absolutely' like that. _"Okay, then, I'll just go get ready. 'scuse me."_

Well, that was a wrinkle – she'd have to factor him into how she fought now, and not use up too much of her magic. Of course, Glenn was on her side, more or less, but somehow Katie doubted he was the only one who'd picked up a few extra strengths while they'd been apart.

Raising an eyebrow, Alyssa leaned forward. "What's the deal here? I thought you always liked having the first go, Katie." She smirked slowly. "Of course, you were usually the first one _out_, too, but-"

"That's _it_!" the blonde cried and dove forward – very nearly crashing head-first into the flat of Koshiro's blade, as Glenn interjected himself between his two sisters.

A chilly moment passed, to pardon the pun, before the swordsman's eyes shifted away from Alyssa's and to the sorry lump she held: Anton. The Fire Squad captain followed his gaze, and resisted the urge to smack herself in the forehead. "Oh, right, damn. Thanks for reminding me. Hang on a sec."

As Katie fumed at the ice samurai, Alyssa descended toward a nearby skyscraper. Gently setting Anton down, she frowned at the wound he'd gotten for her sake. Aiming Bowie's tip at the shoulder, she cast a spell that covered it in a gently-burning flame. It wasn't exactly a healing spell, but it would dull the pain he felt, and hopefully keep the wound from growing larger. Doctor Marion would have to do the rest.

"Thanks Anton, really," she said, leaning down to speak in the young man's ear, "that took guts, and you probably saved my life there. I owe you one."

Anton replied with a groan.

Alyssa stared, and then ruffled his hair with a chuckle. "I'll tell you later." She turned back toward the battle, giving Bowie a twirl. "Take care of him, huh Akashic?"

"_Yes. Thank you, Captain."_

"No big deal." she said casually. "Gotta look after my team, right?" With that the red-head flew back up to the battle.

Katie didn't look particularly happy with her sister as she did. "Hmph, took you long enough. Is a coward like him even worth-"

The noise of fire blazing cut her off, as a stream of flame from one of Bowie's points shot into the sky. Alyssa smiled pleasantly as it did. "Shut up, Katie. I don't have to listen to you being a sore loser anymore, either."

The lightning mage spat. "That's just like you, siding with the weaklings." A quick flash move later, and she was facing her sister's back. Alyssa didn't turn around, preferring to watch as Glenn took a more aggressive stance with Koshiro. His expression would have been unreadable to anyone else, but she looked at it for a moment before her smile grew ever so softer.

"Okay, Glenn, that's one for you, zero for me. Let's see how the score goes now that I'm done acting like a little kid, huh?"

For a moment, one half of the swordsman's mouth turned upward briefly. Then he looked upward as Alyssa took off like a comet, spiraling upward and casting a bright-red trail. Glenn obligingly pursued, taking on his own blue lining. Still fuming a little, Katie went third, and the battle began anew at last, both blue and gold twisting among red and attempting to strike it down.

One thing quickly became apparent to both of Alyssa's siblings: she hadn't been kidding about honing her skills in their time apart, and now that her anger on the subject had subsided, the girl's fighting style had changed completely. Before she had used her superior speed for nothing but pure attacking, trying to steamroll Glenn as fast as possible. Obviously with his defenses, especially against her element of magic, that hadn't been terribly productive.

Now, though, things were different. Alyssa was using her speed as an advantage now, rather than a source of predictability – she'd back away gradually, goading them into attacking. Lightning came toward her from Katie, both direct and in the form of projectiles, while Glenn ironically stuck to freezing binds, not falling for Alyssa's attempt to lure him. The fire mage evaded them both skillfully, slipping into rolls and dives at just the right moment to make the attacks miss their mark, followed by her counterattacking.

This was helped by the fact that Katie and Glenn obviously weren't used to working together. Being separated for so long probably wouldn't help anyone's synergy, of course, but it didn't help that all three of the Triad Children were competitive by nature. Katie wasn't going to attack her brother in this situation (not even she'd be that stupid, was Alyssa's charitable opinion), and he hadn't shown any signs of minding her 'help' yet. But neither were they much concerned with the other, leading to mistakes like her accidentally searing him with lightning, or almost running into a forming ice box.

"What are you doing, Glenn!" she shouted after this happened for about the third time, glaring at him in a way that practically shot lightning bolts on its own. Glenn didn't seem to notice, looking up over her shoulder and summoning a shield.

Katie's eyes widened, and she whirled around, diving out of the way as a hail of fireballs pelted the two of them, courtesy of Alyssa. None of them were strong enough individually to burn through Glenn's defenses, but his sister grit her teeth as the fire stung at her like hornets, tearing a few small holes in her barrier jacket.

"**Flare Move!"**

Alyssa burst through the rest of the fireballs, the projectiles dispelling to add to the flames surrounding her. She swooped in on Katie within but a moment. **"Heat Lancer!" **

"Guh!" The knife-user dove to the side as fast as she could, but not enough to keep Bowie's fire-coated point from piercing into her side. If not for her barriers, weaker than Glenn's as they were, the move might have done a lot more than just cut her. "Y-you damn-" Katie sputtered, looking at the wound with anger in her eyes.

Her sister grinned. "Gee, I wonder what dear old dad would say about those new words you picked up, Kat?"

Laughing, Alyssa danced away from the sparking knives, as well as Katie's scream of rage.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius - Passage underneath Rafflesia Industries – 1936 Hours**

The ladder led them down a short way, before opening out onto a short, dark hallway, not altogether much bigger than the stairwell they had come from. Dwight stepped down and looked ahead. The hall would have needed about a dozen more light-bulbs to qualify as badly lit, and it was only wide enough for one person to walk down at once, bent over unless they felt like scraping their head on the ceiling.

"Sure is dark down here, huh Dwight?" Ace said quietly as he jumped down behind him. At least, he'd clearly intended it to be quiet, but the nature of the hallway had other plans: it caught the question and made it echo up and down across the stone walls. As the sound died away, Dwight turned with a frown as Ace winced.

"Uh, whoops."

The lieutenant sighed. "Don't worry about it. If I'm right about who this was built in mind for, he'll know we're coming no matter what."

"Really?" Ace asked, before he raised his gauntlets. "In that case…" He tapped them together gently, producing two low charges that lit up the hallway around them. "Let me go in front. If he's going to see us coming no matter what, at least _we _can see _him_ coming, right?"

Dwight frowned, clearly thinking about relying on the corporal again. He couldn't ignore common sense just because of that, though, and stepped back, giving Ace a nod. "Not a bad idea. Go ahead."

Ace shrugged, looking away as he took the lead. "Well, ambushes are part of battle too."

If he hadn't already been uncomfortable, _that _comment would have changed things in a hurry. Dwight was glad the young man couldn't see his face as they moved cautiously down the hallway. Not only was it dark down here, but the echoing walls made it seem like every footstep you took was all around you – and that one or two might not have been your own. He found himself turning his head this way and that, peering at the ceiling and walls. But that was dumb: there was barely enough room for the two of them in here. No way was anyone else lurking somewhere.

"_Which is exactly what I thought," _he thought, feeling a sudden pang in his side, _"back then."_

Tightening his grip on Gate's handle, Dwight tried to steady his rising nerves as they walked down the hall. It seemed to take longer than travelling from one side of the road to another really should have, if that made any sense. Eventually, though, the two of them neared a single spot of industrial white amidst the dark-gray walls. It was a simple gray door, featureless and equipped with a knob. He wouldn't have been surprised to find it in an office building like the one they'd just come from. Seeing it here was just…weird.

Turning to look at the lieutenant for a moment, Ace stepped forward and tentatively grasped the knob. Nothing happened. The young man exhaled slightly, turning and pushing the door inward. He stepped back quickly, gauntlets raised, as it swung open on the room beyond. "An area search would be useful here, Dwight." he remarked.

"No," Dwight said, shaking his head, "that doesn't work on this guy."

"He sounds strong." Ace said simply.

The sniper nodded. "Strong enough to put me through the ringer, at least. I ran into him on my own a few weeks after I got here – it wasn't pretty."

Ace blinked, and fell silent for a moment or two. Then he lifted one hand and smiled wide. "Well, you're _not _by yourself this time, right? _I'm _here."

Dwight couldn't help it: he burst out laughing. It was such a corny thing to say, and Ace was so damn serious about it besides. But if there was a time he could use a laugh, it was now. He clapped a hand on the Corporal's shoulder and nodded. "Right, of course I'm not; how _could _I forget? Let's go, Ace."

The martial artist nodded eagerly. "Yeah."

"Just like last time, on the count of three." Dwight held up his fingers. "One…" he tightened his hold on Gates. "Two…" Ace tightened up, preparing to move as quickly as possible. "THREE!"

They ran forward at once in a crouch, bursting through the door and into the room beyond. In contrast to the hallway they'd just come from, it was well-lit and spacious, even having a second floor complete with balcony. Along one wall was a large computer screen displaying what looked like a map of the city, with various spots of it lit up. A couple chairs were in front of it, while comfy-looking leather couches where in other area of the room. The floor was nice, padded carpeting.

Not that Ace and Dwight had much time to notice these things, because as soon as they passed through the door, something dropped down from space above the door with a muffled thump. The two quickly spun around, with the former jumping in front of his superior and crossing his arms defensively. Good thing, too; the formless sphere of magic that hit him a moment later sent the young man tumbling back into Dwight, and nearly sent _him _into the carpet. He winced; Ace was harder than he looked. Or at least his jacket was. At least it could have been worse.

"Well, well, well…" said the large man in shades who had done the deed, "look what the cat dragged in." His eyes looked right past Ace like he didn't matter, and settled on the Lieutenant. "Evening, Dwight. Didn't know you'd gotten yourself a lacky. Does he do tricks?"

"Why you-!" Ace growled, stepping forward, but Dwight put a restraining hand on his shoulder.

He treated the giant to a hard look. "Couldn't really say, actually. I've been seeing so many dumb owners put their pets up to stupid crap lately that I'm kinda soured on the whole idea, Barnes."

"What a _shame_."

Ace looked between the two, stifling a gulp. The only metaphors he really had any for use were ones that had to do with the inside of a ring, and right now he felt like this was just the warm-ups before the fight started. His gauntlets crackled slightly while he waited for the pin to drop; he didn't want to screw up anything Dwight had planned.

In fact, he was overestimating his new friend a tad. Dwight tried to keep his expression level as he looked at the man. _"He's, what, a few feet away? How long would it take him to get close? A couple seconds, maybe." _He hadn't expected Barnes to move that fast last time, but would knowing about it now even help?

He took a hesitant step backward – being close to _any _perpwas a bad place to be for a sniper, but he couldn't think of anyone worse for it than this guy.

It was like dropping a pin on a stone floor. One second Barnes was standing casually, arms at his sides, the next moment his hand was pounding into Dwight's nose. It wasn't a hit with any style or finesse, but more like a butcher pounding some meet. He certainly _felt _tenderized as he was sent flying across the room, blood splattering onto the carpet.

Ace's eyes widened. He hadn't even seen Barnes take a step forward, let alone get past him. Not that he stayed shocked for very long…or at least not figuratively.

"**Spark Knuckle!" **The crackling light of the punch touched the man's face as it headed toward it, illuminating the eyes beneath those dark lenses. It didn't stray from its path, but Ace inhaled sharply. There was a lot that could be said about the eyes, but he skipped right to what they _weren't_: anything human. What Barnes did in response to the attack didn't help that perception, either. Quick as a snake, his hand shot out and grabbed hold of the gauntlet, stopping it inches before it touched him.

Grabbing one of Bolt's gauntlets while it was live was a good way to make sure you didn't use it for anything else, ever again. But the lightning only crackled uselessly at his palm, failed to get further, and faded away as Ace's eyes widened further. Barnes stared down at him. "Kid, you got bad luck. I'd say, sorry, but somehow I think it would sound insincere."

Adding his other hand onto the convenient hold of the gauntlet, he grunted and tugged, tossing the hapless Corporal over his shoulder like a shot putt. Ace crashed into the wall near the staircase, grunting as he left a partial imprint.

"You okay, Ace?" Dwight asked, voice understandably a bit muffled.

Ace nodded as he picked himself up. "More or less, yeah." He frowned. "But only because he pulled that throw. I see what you mean about him being strong."

Dwight felt around his nose. "Yeah, tell me about it." Inwardly his thoughts were less simple. _"Could just be my imagination, but…was that punch harder than last time?"_

Barnes didn't move as the two got to their feet. "I'll give you some credit; I didn't expect you to get here this quickly. It's too bad I don't have anything to give you for it – other than _these_." He cracked his knuckles.

"Cut the shit, Barnes. I'm not scared of you."

The shade-wearing man shrugged. "Not like it matters if you are or not."

Not finding a suitable retort for that, Dwight called out telepathically. _"Ace, there's no way I can fight him up close. Think you can take care of that?"_

"_Yeah, definitely," _Ace said, resisting the urge to nod back, _"no way I'm going to get knocked around by some thug!"_

For his part, Dwight resisted the urge to smile. _"Okay, on the count of-" _he nearly bit his lip as the young man bolted forward, swinging a punch at something that turned out to Barnes' fist, now lined with magic. The result was a minor shockwave that sent both of them backward a footstep or two. But it didn't end there.

Rather than watch the hail of blows and footwork that followed, the Lieutenant picked his way carefully around to the staircase, ascending it two at a time. There was nothing he could do at that range. He'd just have to hope Ace could keep him there long enough, or…well, he'd just have to hope he _would_. One thing was for sure, as far as he was concerned: neither of them could fight Barnes on their own and hope to come out ahead.

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**Planet Gardius – Jeanne's location – 1938 Hours**

The Water Squad Captain's nose wrinkled a little, and she let out a small growl before hopping backward, sneezing as she did so. _"If that happened because someone was talking about me, they better hope I don't find out about it." _Like many serious people, Jeanne despised such minor distractions. While you could deal with a major annoyance – and a few examples came to mind pretty fast for her – directly, say, by telling it to shut its face before she shoved a gallon of water into it, but some things you just couldn't do anything about. Well, other than complaining about them good and hard.

And if there was ever a time she didn't need distractions like that, it was…all the time. But _especially _not now. Flashpoint's Boiler setting might have evened the odds, but it didn't make Gibbs any less of a pain to fight. The spot she'd left quickly filled up with acid as the smuggler strolled forward, letting out a yawn. "Is it just me, or is this not really going anywhere? Good thing I didn't have anything to do today; getting paid to waste someone else's time is almost a vacation."

Jeanne exhaled a puff of smoke that substituted for an eye roll magnificently. _"Is he supposed to be making me angry, or what?" _Oh, he was definitely an annoying ball of slime that got on her nerves like hot glue, but that description fit most of the people she'd had to deal with for most of her life, and _he _didn't even outrank her (not that that ever really mattered much to her) – so what reason was there to give a damn what he said?

The woman's inner monologue was cut off suddenly as a disturbingly familiar noise reached her ears: the sound of foundations crumbling, right underfoot. She didn't have to look down to see what was happening, largely because the shaking was already running up her feet. Jeanne threw herself back again as the immediate area collapsed, dropping into a newly-formed pit of acid underneath with a series of hisses.

Not that the damage had been confined to just that spot. The area around it began to collapse just as fast, barely behind her retreating feet. And then suddenly, not even that. Fortunately, Jeanne was nothing if not a quick thinker, and Flashpoint was already almost pointed down as it was. Shoving him ahead as she fell, she squeezed off a shot quickly.

"_Thank god for barrier jackets. This would probably hurt like hell otherwise." _The Captain thought as the water propelled her back upward, teeth clamped around her cigarette. It wasn't quite as, _ahem_, stylish as Alyssa flew, but it got the job done: the ground she was about to land on seemed safely away from the damaged part of the road.

And, miraculously, a statement like that made by her turned out to be true for once. It was the left and right areas of the street that had been eaten through, and they fountained forth in unison, arcing straight up toward her.

Jeanne uttered a word that would have made Anton blush bright pink before summoning a bubble around herself, while Flashpoint strengthened her barriers beneath it. The acid fountains hit her at once, letting out a nasty hiss as it ate through the water instantly. They couldn't hit the barriers with the same amount of force as Jeanne quickly fell out of their path, but both collapsed in an instant, showering her with the melting substance.

The barriers quickly broke like a dam under the pressure, and the captain grit her teeth as the acid splashed against the jacket, one short step away from touching her bare skin. Compared to that, hitting the ground back-first at that speed really wasn't too bad.

Rolling to the left, gaining precious seconds as Gibbs had to retarget his acid, Jeanne forced herself up. She eyed Flashpoint's dial for a moment and frowned. It was a dumb thing to take a stand on, but she'd already shown this idiot one of the device's alternate settings. It would just be…wrong, somehow.

"Come on, Captain, is this all you can do?" the smuggler called loudly from where he stood at the other end of the road. The space between them had lengthened, and he didn't seem particularly interested in getting any closer.

Jeanne frowned, looking at the road and thinking quickly. _"No way I'm getting any closer to him if he has anything to say about it…but even if he's trying to hide it, he's annoyed. Probably no-one's lasted this long against him." _It was small, but it gave her something to work with at least. She just had to keep it together a little while longer…

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Daniel and Otavi's location – 1939 Hours**

"Dammit!" Daniel grimaced as the tail end of a crystal storm courtesy of Mercedes clipped him in the side, turning an agile roll into a clumsy sprawl. He hit the ground on his arm, Lithic nearly getting wrenched from his grasp. "You're even more of a pain in the ass in person…" he muttered, smacking the ground and causing a slight tremor that forced him up.

His opponent gave a haughty tut. "Are you trying to make me angry, Daniel Trail?" She sniffed. "I realize you're a barbarian, but surely you can't imagine everyone is as short-tempered as _you_?"

Her lip curled upward even further as a glob of spit landed on the crystal field. "I'd get mad at the short crack, but no way you're worth it. Besides, that's _way _too clever for you."

"Hmph, such wordplay is certainly-"

"-just like actually getting things right about Belkan culture."

Mercedes' expression of superiority collapsed into a petulant scrunch, and then back to haughtiness a few seconds after Daniel had already seen it. "I've had enough of you talking like that to me!" She pointed the sceptre at him and cried out, **"Ruby Bombardier!" **

More of the jewels blinked into midair, flinging themselves at Daniel just as the last ones did. These, however, were glowing red hot, not unlike some of Alyssa's fireballs. The only thing that could have made him move faster is if something that looked like _Jeanne's_ magic, but they were moving fast (or at least fast enough for him), and he still had the buildings at his back.

Before he could feel a sudden unpleasant change in his temperature, though, the spelunker caught a glimpse of something on the edge of his vision. He shrugged inwardly. _"Any port in a storm, I guess." _Of course, there were ports with skeleton ships that he'd rather have used than this one, but who was he to argue if it saved his skin? With a hop and another dive (aided by a short boost from the earth; thank the Kaiser he was outside of the crystal field)

Mercedes gave a satisfied smile as the jewels exploded, showering their burning shards across the immediate area… "Huh!" …except for the part of it that, coincidentally, Daniel happened to land in just at that moment. "But how on Midchilda-?"

He didn't give her time to think about it. Regaining his grip on Lithic - currently in Shovel Form - he swept it outward, flinging the building chunk he'd scooped into it straight at the pompous girl. Quickly she lashed out with the scepter, smacking the debris away before it blew apart as well, the chunks getting deflected by her barriers. Daniel attacking outright wasn't much of a problem; it was only when he'd set things up that it became dangerous.

But, had he? Turning to keep him in her sights, Mercedes glanced over him. _"Completely unharmed…" _Things like that didn't happen from luck, and there was no way she was going to entertain the thought of Daniel Trail being blessed by _anything_. Shrugging it off, she fired another salvo. It was more of his trickery, that was it, and she just didn't see. Of course.

As it so happened, the librarian felt a little blessed at the moment, if only because Mercedes didn't seem to feel like looking up any time soon (which, he had to admit, wasn't completely stupid when fighting him). Daniel resisted the urge to do so himself as he moved, avoiding the shower just as completely as the last; doing that wouldn't just screw over him.

Floating above the ground at the moment in several spots were petals, drifting lazily through the air despite the humid atmosphere of the night. And unless Daniel had just rolled triple sixes with the guys upstairs, there was only one place they could have come from. If he strained his ears, he could hear some notes from her violin, but Otavi was nowhere to be seen. Good.

Mercedes eye twitched slightly as Daniel made his way around her, gradually growing closer despite the jewels she fired and the walls placed in his way. _"What…what's going on here!"_

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Arturia and GD's location – 1941 Hours**

For once, GD was forced to admit that he was faced with a problem, as the beast beneath him bucked and thrashed in an attempt to lose the irritating weight. As an official of the TSAB, the gadget drone had compiled information on many skills useful to his new duty of keeping the peace. For instance, there were dozens of ways to incapacitate a suspect non-fatally while also making them forget that doing so otherwise would be a clear breach of the organization's protocol. GD had all of them committed to his memory, and could retrieve one of them to use in less than a second.

Unfortunately, while humans were more-or-less uniform in many ways (organs, bone durability, nerve locations), the familiars they so often employed were not. It would certainly be impossible for him to make an entry for every possible combination of features, after all, and quite absurd besides. He was not helpless without data, after all.

For now, extricating himself from this position would be a good place to start. Staring at the furry bulk beneath him and calculating a moment, GD tightened his claw's grip for a moment before spreading his legs, sending them crashing into the familiar's shoulders in _just _the right way.

The bear roared in pain at the piercing blow, arching its back and head upward – just as the machine's hands, clasped into a single fist, came down. There came a loud crack as the two met, and the creature shifted underneath him again, far more sluggishly. GD quickly rolled off, flipping away the instant his claws scraped the road.

His blow had aggravated the beast, especially with his AMF energy added onto it, but a combat familiar couldn't be put down by a blow like that. It had already whirled, issuing a hot roar filled with saliva at the gadget drone. And, one moment later, also full of flame; a long gout of it that ran toward GD. There was no finesse in it, but a lack of that, regrettably, did not matter much for him.

GD leaped, going higher than any normal human could as the fire passed over him harmlessly. There _was _one respect that familiars were uniform in: almost everything they did was a drain upon their mage. Assuming that he could keep himself in the fight unmolested (and also that he could keep the beast's anger constant – it did not seem particularly smart), Lady Lackland's job would be easier as a result, however slightly.

Likewise with familiar types, anything approaching a comprehensive list of every spell would be enough to make his systems give off smoke. And while a foe might attack crudely, that did not necessarily mean they did so without surprise. Similar to the claw enchantment it had employed earlier (and now since dispelled), the bear's fur became lined in a red aura and, at a roar from the beast, rose up into spikes. Naturally, they then shot off, up and toward the droid.

The machine would have grimaced if he had had a mouth to do so with. While his skill at maneuvering on the ground was considerable – going by his squad-mates' opinions, at least – GD could not summon momentum in midair as easily as the average mage. There was nothing else for it; the Sergeant curled in on himself as much as possible and strengthened the AMF to its maximum output level.

Fired as erratically as they were, a good portion of the spikes missed him entirely, and many of the smaller ones were dispelled as they passed through the field. Unfortunately, 'most' and 'all' were two crucially different things. Across GD's frame came the ugly noise of metal rupturing as the spikes pierced him, followed closely by the sparking of his inner electronics in a few locations.

The attack flung him out of the air, and he hit the ground roughly. Even before he did, though, the droid's hands were working swiftly to remove the piercing spells. Thankfully his generator made this easier, and most of the spikes simply winked out when he grabbed them. The larger ones had to be extracted with care, and quickly: the bear was already pounding toward him.

Nearby, Arturia quirked one eye toward the other battle and frowned. _"Yes, there is no doubt about it. That familiar is feral." _Not every mage, if they could even create a familiar, had the energy or want to summon one that was fully sapient. Enough intelligence to receive commands and maintain some independence was usually adequate if not ideal. But some mages didn't desire to bring anything worthwhile into this world, it seemed. Feral familiars could follow orders, but only in the manner of an attack dog. And from the looks of it, this one had been driven far into its rage. Could 782 handle a berserker such as that?

She was brought out of her thoughts by a sharp tug that threw her forward despite expecting it – in the same instance Johnathan sent a pair of arrows whistling toward her breastplate. That had been his strategy throughout their battle, and it was beginning to grow very tiresome in the knightess' opinion. Nonetheless, nothing much could be done about that; the bind he had employed held her fast. All attempts to break or sever it had been interrupted by him, in the same manner he had just used. Being tugged around like a mule had done very little to improve Arturia's mood.

Staying on the defensive would do nothing toward her winning this battle. Pushing forward and allowing the bolts to hit her passive defenses, the Saint Church warrior flinched; they were more powerful than one might first think. _"But meaningless for my defenses, all the same." _Making a quick leap to avoid being tripped again, Arturia struck out with Frangir at her foe.

"Wow, you sure are brave." Johnathan said calmly. "Stupid, too."

Extending one finger quickly, he plucked the manacle's chain like a harp's string. The noise it produced was nowhere near as pleasant, however – letting out a startled cry, the girl collapsed out of her leap, the claymore nearly falling from her grasp as she hit the ground. As soon as the hunter had touched his bind, the inside of Arturia's manacle had abruptly grown spikes, stabbing straight through to the bone and releasing what felt like an electric shock.

The girl wasn't willing to let a cowardly trick like that keep her down, though, and tried to get to her feet before she'd even realized exactly what the attack _was_. Her afflicted leg didn't fully agree, however. The bone didn't appear broken, but the shock that ran through it had affected her nerves enough to paralyze the limb temporarily. Far too long, with her foe this close. Johnathan had stepped calmly aside when she fell, and now pointed his crossbow's barrel right at her face, a particularly large bolt forming within it.

There was no chance of escaping with only one leg, and on the ground besides. And Arturia didn't doubt for a moment he had other techniques for feinting past strong defenses. Frangir was still in her hands, but – nearby, she heard the sound of 782's movement hastening, and coming closer. She grit her teeth. _"I do not…" _Gripping her armed device tightly, she swung it at the man in a forceful push.

Scoffing, Johnathan moved back, readjusting the crossbow quickly. But her goal was hardly to hit him. Midway through the swing, Arturia shifted her strength downward, plunging the claymore into the earth and using it as a fulcrum to throw herself forward. Johnathan had already fired, and the bolt fazed through one of her shoulder-plates, scraping away the skin beneath with a glancing hit. Briefly thanking the Kaiser it hadn't stuck, Arturia struck out at the hunter's knee, not with her device but one gauntlet-clad hand. All knights of the Saint Church were required to take some training in Strike Arts: a sword might be your life, but not every enemy you met would appreciate that. Her skills were nowhere near Ace's, but more than enough to surprise someone who thought her helpless when disarmed.

Just as the poacher was. Johnathan Wrangler grunted as the augmented and armored fist struck him in the knee, knocking him over completely. This gave Arturia the opening she required to get to her feet, pulling back her other hand and readying a more dignified blow. **"Quasso DILICULO!"**

Glowing with light magic, her fist came down on the man's half of the bind in a heavy downward punch. He let out a cry of pain as the manacle shattered along with the chain binding his 'prey'. He rolled away quickly, while Arturia moved backward to retrieve Frangir. She might have been capable enough with only her hands, but the young warrior always felt awkward in battle without it.

"Now," she spoke firmly, bringing the claymore up to bear, "I wonder if you have any other tricks left?"

Johnathan scowled.

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**Planet Gardius – Above the Angelo Ballroom – 1944 Hours**

"_Why am I still conscious?"_

It was safe to say that Anton had never been in this much physical pain in his life. Alyssa's healing had helped, but only in the sense that it lowered the burning from an inferno to a dull blaze. The rest of him was still just as battered, too. But no matter how bad he felt (not that he _wanted _to feel worse at the moment, mind you) or how tightly he shut his eyes, unconsciousness wouldn't take him.

It wasn't that he was worried about something happening while he was out. Somehow he doubted his captain would take very kindly to her two opponents trying to shoot at him now, and it wasn't like he could make a difference in the fight now. It wasn't adrenaline, either: that had bled out of him right along with himself. But…he looked up at Alyssa, as bright and untouchable as any comet, as she ducked and weaved amid the battle. _"She's…beautiful."_

Maybe it was an odd thing to think about a woman while she was fighting, but Anton didn't care. As far as he was concerned, the Fire Triad was the most wonderful thing he'd ever seen now. No matter what his body said, he wanted to see every second of it. Before now, he'd doubted deep down whether or not joining Section Thirteen was the right decision: now he knew for sure. _"I…want to be like her, someday."_

Oblivious to her subordinate's thoughts, Alyssa let out a laugh as she ducked aside another bolt from Katie, then turned and quickly spun Bowie to deflect a hail-storm courtesy of Glenn. "Come on, guys! At this rate, you're not even gonna kill my _boredom_!"

One of Katie's eyes twitched as she ground her teeth together. _"This is…mortifying!" _She didn't like admitting such a thing, even to herself, but what else could be said about this situation? Her entire strategy had been unraveled by that _weakling_, and now that bitch was outfighting the pair of them like it was nothing! Her sister's movements were completely different, even though nothing had changed. The wound she now had as a result didn't help matters, nor did the slight pull she felt from Barnes' actions underground.

She briefly considered yelling at him over it, but while the familiar was many things, wasteful wasn't one of them. Whatever amount of energy he was using was necessary – you could count on that. _"Glenn, we're never going to win like this. Listen, follow my lead and-"_

"_Change of plans," _the swordsman interrupted coldly, _"I'm doing things my way. If you don't like it, go home to your boss."_

"_What!" _Katie turned to fix a sudden, violent glare at her brother. _"You damned fickle-!"  
_

From her peripheral vision came a flicker; all the warning she needed to turn and throw up her knives with augmented speed. Bowie's point sizzled to a halt right in front of her eyes, barely held off by Coltello's two halves. "You're not paying attention, Kat," Alyssa said from the other side of the spear, staring calmly, "that's pretty rude. If you don't want to fight, just run back to Quattro instead of wasting my time."

"Shut up!" Throwing the spear off to one side, Katie retreated, but Alyssa pursued, striking out again and again with Bowie as she spoke.

"No thanks, Sis – and hey, it's not like you can do anything about it, right?" Her face became a snarl as she drove onwards, chasing her opponent across the sky. Unlike before, though, her anger was tempered and honed, much like the spear she wielded. "That's why you came up with this plan, right? Because you knew you couldn't beat me yourself!" She punctuated it with a wide swing. "And whaddya know? _It didn't work_!"

Katie ducked the swing, gritting her teeth as it cut off a few strands of her hair – and some skin from her forehead. "I said, shut up!" Tightening her grip on the knives, she swung them out, sending a pair of lightning currents that twisted and turned, snaking toward Alyssa. **"Shock Frenzy!"**

"Make me." Alyssa, who hadn't moved, called down. Then she did move, snaking through the curves and fake-outs of the spell and launching her own fireballs as she did. These were the opposite: despite their simplicity, it seemed Katie couldn't quite dodge them no matter what she did. Flinching as one burned another hole in the barrier jacket and scorched in the side, the lightning triad swallowed a curse. Slinging out a four-letter-word or two would only make Alyssa _more_ self-satisfied. 

But she had a way to fix her wagon good, and maybe – her lips curled upward a moment – _"The little pony that pulled her in, too…if I have time." _Changing her grip on one of the knives, Katie built up mana slowly to keep Alyssa none the wiser, while allowing her to get closer and closer with Bowie's thrusts and spins (not that that was difficult at the moment). All she had to do was wait for the right moment…

It came when the captain thrust just a bit too far, leaving her head exposed and no time to bring the device back up. Katie threw the knife underhanded straight as an arrow, skillful enough not to need to bring her arm back. Sure enough Alyssa saw it coming and ducked, the blade barely whistling by overhead. At the sight of her attack failing, though, Katie smiled. _"Got you."_

As soon as the knife flew past, she loosed her spell; an extremely short-range teleport. One directed toward a very close-by target. Disappearing in a surge of electricity, Katie blinked into being nearby the thrown weapon within half an instant, snatching it up almost before her body had reappeared. _"Now I've got you!" _Lightning coating the tiny blade, she drove it forward for a finishing backstab.

And hit nothing but air. Katie's eyes widened as her sister's image wavered like a mirage and then vanished entirely. At the same time, there was a rustle of air behind her. "You've gotten sloppy, Kat," Alyssa said calmly, "and now it's time to pay for it. Sorry."

Even without turning around, the would-be schemer could sense the spear heading toward her back, with no time to move. _"No…damn it!"_

The pain of the stab never came, although a crack did, even if it wasn't of bone. Hesitantly, she turned, to see a dome of ice spreading out between her and the burning spear. Glenn stood there holding Koshiro on its side, staring impassively at Alyssa, who didn't terribly surprised herself. "Katie," he said coldly, "go back. This is my fight now." His voice indicated fully that he wouldn't accept a 'no'.

A long moment passed, and then Katie turned and fled, unable to keep a cry of rage from ripping out of her throat.

"_Something wro-"_

"_Barnes, any mana you need, you take it, understand! If you let them so much as get _near_ our ace in the hole, I'll skin you for a fur!"_

"…_alright."_

Behind, Alyssa and Glenn watched her go. "Harsh of you." the latter said after a moment.

She shrugged. "Maybe, but she needed it. If she wants to fight me for real, she needs to use her linker core, not her mouth – and somehow I think she's used one a bit more than the other lately."

"Perhaps," Glenn agreed, nodding, "but she will back for you now. _And _him."

The Fire Squad captain shrugged, smirking. "Gee, really? Damn, didn't think of _that_."

"…" The icy samurai could only stare. _"Shouldn't joining the military have made her _less _impulsive?"_

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**Planet Gardius – 1947 Hours – Hidden Room underneath Rafflesia Industries**

"…_somehow I don't think that'll be necessary, though."_

Barnes stood, folding his arms, and watched as Ace stumbled back to his feet, swaying as he resumed his stance. The kid was fast, sure, but not good enough to fight him. Even a runaway truck would stop if you hit it in the right place, and he'd had a _bit _of experience in figuring out precisely what happened when you hit someone where. It definitely wasn't the same field of knowledge familiars typically had to memorize, but on the other hand, was also probably far more practical. Even trade, really.

Having back-up wasn't really helping the squirt, either. Dwight sat against the cracked wall, unmoving, Gates lying nearby. He hadn't even made it up the stairs. You'd think he'd know better, really. That had pissed the kid off something fierce, which just made his job easier.

"Maybe you should just take a nap, buddy." Barnes said as he folded his arms, feeling charitable. "I haven't even broken a sweat yet, and you're barely standing."

"Like I'm…giving in to some criminal!" Ace spit out, along with a bit of blood. His opponent might not have had gauntlets, but he hit _hard_. Several pieces of his armor had already been smashed apart, and his gauntlets were hardly spotless either. But that didn't mean he was going to just lie down and give up! "This city doesn't belong to _you_!" Diving forward, he swung a charged jab at Barnes' face so fast it left an after-image.

Barnes frowned. "Oh, yeah?" As quick as one blink of an eye, he slipped around the punch and launched one of his own; a devastating haymaker that pounded Ace right in the neck. The martial artists grunted as his armor there was dented right into his collar bone. That was only the start, however. Moving around to one side of the young clone as he stumbled backward, Barnes spun, raising his leg as he did so. Ace let out a cry as the pain on the front of his neck got some company. Hopefully that crack he'd just heard was the armor too…

Lifting his bent foe back up with a quick punch to the chin, Barnes then grabbed him tightly by the shoulders. Ace's eyes widened and he tried to pull away, but in one motion the bodyguard turned, throwing his weight and tossing him straight across the room. The corporal's flight was stopped by a leather-backed chair that broke underneath him – it was far harder than the plush material would indicate.

"How 'bout you stay down now?" Barnes asked with the same calm tone of voice. "I'd rather not throw you into anything else expensive: sort of counterproductive."

If anything, this just made Ace get to his feet _quicker_. "You can forget it!" His gaze flickered to Dwight for a moment, and hardened. "There's too many people counting on us for me to just roll over and surrender!"

Barnes could only shrug, popping his neck slightly. "Nice little speech there. I hope it'll help you hit harder – it's a little annoying to see hot air get blown everywhere by you Bureau people."

Ace's forehead twitched, temper flaring up the same way his magic would. "Like I care what some lapdog to a crime boss thinks!"

Then something puzzling happened: Dwight's eyes widened practically to the size of dinner plates. _"Huh?" _Ace looked back at Barnes, who was standing motionless with his head down. _"But he's not doing any-"_

"Well, damn." Barnes said with a sigh after a long pause. "I was in a pretty good mood today, and now you had to go and say that."

Nothing had changed in the bodyguard's words, but Ace sensed a new intent in them that was far less friendly. Trying not to let the shudder threatening him follow through, he took a step backward-

-and felt the grip of a hand on his throat. Barnes had crossed the distance between them in roughly an instant, shattered the barriers in his passing, and seized him around the neck. That somehow wasn't the most distressing part, though. During the fight so far he'd gotten a pretty good idea of what the man's hands looked like; they definitely hadn't been clawed. Or scaled.

"So, working on someone's behalf makes me a lap dog, does it?" Barnes asked genially as his nails ground into the young man's skin. His eyes shone through the tinted shades, now far from the only sign that he wasn't human. "What does that make you then, exactly?" He didn't flinch as Ace's fist came up to hit him in the chest. "A trained monkey?" With the hand holding Ace, he shoved, sending him the rest of the way across the room and straight into the wall, leaving an indent of his shape.

Barnes scoffed. "Or maybe a parrot would be better? From where I'm standing, the pair of you are sure good at talking," lifting up his hand, he slapped away a hasty shot from Gates, Dwight having struggled to his feet, "but nothing much else." The hand still raised, he concentrated, forming a ball of magic in the palm of it, about the size of a beach ball. Hardly a move with much finesse, but he'd never found much need for fancy tricks like other familiars. Casually tossing it at the fallen strike arts user, he turned as the explosion completely covered that part of the wall.

"I'm beginning to see why the boss doesn't like you people, I think." Barnes said, starting toward Dwight slowly. "You go on and on, but the pair of you can't even handle a criminal like me. If you ask me, that sounds pretty _pathet_-"

The next step turned into more of a stumble as something hit him dead in the back. The sound of burned material and skin came to the lieutenant's nose as he let out a grateful exhale, using the opportunity to quickly roll away from the man. Not that his attention was on the sniper anymore: with an expression of pure irritation, he turned to glare at Ace, who was getting up a_ third_ time, lowering a crackling gauntlet.

"Be quiet." he said as he rose, shaking to his feet; but his voice held none of the same wavering. "I won't let you talk that way about the Bureau. Without them, I'd be nothing at all, and they've helped more people than I've even met. What gives you the right to talk like you're better than them?"

Barnes snarled - _literally _snarled, spittle flying from one corner of his mouth. "Kid, you're-"

"I told you to BE QUIET!" The shout carried across the room as Ace's eyes flashed an ominous red. Before the echoes of it had even died down, he brought both his hands together in a thunderous crash.

"**HYPER MODE!"**

Dwight imagined that seeing a flash of lightning up close would be like happened next. Gates had enough warning to keep it from blinding him (which would just make this the perfect case, wouldn't it?), but the device couldn't possibly dispel the spectacle of it. But what was going on? Tapping Gates on the side, Dwight summoned a small window directly in front of his eye, designed to look through interference like this. He had time; for now Barnes' attention was certainly not on him.

The causes of the miniature storm were certain areas of Ace's barrier jacket – the gauntlets, greaves, and shoulder-plates – that had snapped open when he issued the command, revealing what looked like condensed charges of lightning. The corporal's body would have been nearly impossible to see for the glow of them under ordinary circumstances.

The combined aura they gave off died down in a few seconds, but Ace moved even before they had passed. However this mode exactly worked was up in the air, but it definitely did a number on his speed. Barnes barely had time to lift his hand up in time to block the punch swung at him, amplified several times by the jacket's mode change. When it hit his palm, though, he grunted as the blow quickly pushed his entire arm back, and in a way that didn't look very comfortable. Without any pause, Ace swung another punch at the man's nose – this one wasn't blocked.

Dwight stared as Barnes was sent flying head over heels. It didn't surprise him completely (the guy wasn't stupid, after all) as he rolled with the blow, bringing his palms downward to hit the floor ahead of him and push into a backflip. The recovery wasn't to be, however. Ace dove forward, the glow on one greave increasing twofold as the leg it was connected to struck out at the man in mid-air.

Barnes grunted as he was knocked tumbling to the floor, limbs splaying out. Ace jumped, both fists now glowing bright as he drew them back. **"Thunderclap Crusher!"**

The familiar rolled out of the way, but that didn't matter very much: when the clasped knuckles smashed into the floor where he'd been a moment ago, the resulting shockwave of lightning it released sent him flying away anyhow. Kicking back to his feet in a far less dignified way, Barnes growled, almost mimicking the last move by summoning two of the shooting spells from earlier. These were smaller, though; only about twice as big as a person's fist. Almost with the air of someone throwing a shot-putt, he hurled them both at Ace.

They spiraled around, coming at the corporal from both sides. He frowned – attacks from multiple areas were the worst thing to face in a confined area like this. But strangely, Barnes only stood there, not moving as his attacks came in closer. _"Alright, then. If you don't want to take an opportunity, then that's fine by me!"_

Waiting as the orbs came closer, closer, Ace finally struck out with a kick and a punch when they were about to hit him.

"…_I screwed up again." _he sighed as his hand and foot sank into the orbs, which locked them into place completely. Ace quickly started to struggle, but that only seemed to increase their hold.

Above the crackling of his spells, Barnes' chuckling rose as he walked over. "Nice move. Seems like kind of a bad time to get stuck, isn't it? If I had to guess," he smiled as he stood before the bound martial artist, "I'd say that form of yours can't last too long, right?"

Ace only glared, which didn't do very much except give his opponent something angrier-looking to punch. As his face recoiled backward, he couldn't help but notice that Barnes' hand, in addition to the nails, was now a rather ugly shade of green. A moment later the bodyguard hit him with the other hand, which was…hairier? Either way, the blow drew blood.

The third hit came in the form of a knee to the chest. Ace's head bent low, and in the process, brought something into his peripheral vision, which he immediately knew he didn't want Barnes to see too. Raising his free leg, he kicked out weakly. Sneering slightly, the criminal snatched it out of the air with the clawed hand, squeezing tightly before pounding it with the other. Ace winced as part of his armor there ruptured, but that was fine. Quickly he ducked his head out of the way, which Barnes couldn't help _but _notice. And then realize he was fighting more than one person.

His gaze instantly flew up to the stairs, where Dwight was indeed crouched – with a shot glowing on the end of his device. Before he could even think of stopping it, the sniper fired. The deafening crack an ordinary sniper rifle would make was absent, but the speed was still there; it crossed the distance in an instant and collided with the orb holding Ace's leg. Even charged like that, the lieutenant's magic didn't have much punch to it, but it was at least enough to dispel the bind.

Barnes grunted, releasing his hold and trying to back away, but Ace certainly wasn't one to let an opportunity flash by. As his leg was released, he rushed forward, bringing it up into a kick at the bodyguard's chest. At the same time, he sent a punch whistling at the side of his head; the same one still trapped. The combined blows both shattered the orb with their force and sent Barnes stumbling backward. Ace pursued like…well, a flash of lightning.

"So, you were wondering how long it lasts?" the corporal asked confidently as he hit Barnes again and again, in the chest, head, sides, and everywhere else he could find. "Well…" The familiar's head snapped backward, bleeding from a broken nose. "Just…" He bent over double from a knee to the chest, twitching slightly from the element applied to it. "Long…" Barnes stumbled backward as Ace hit him one final time, and then jumped back. Cupping his hands together, he gathered lightning between them into a crackling, spherical corona. "Enough! **LIGHTNING**!"

"_Damn it."_

"**DETONATOR!"**

Dwight stared, the sheer spectacle attracting his eyes like a car crash. The earlier attacks might have done some damage to the room, but he now saw that had been the thrown rock to the wrecking ball that was _this _move. With a force that nearly shook the floor, the energy Ace had gathered poured forth in a vicious, unbroken stream that poured into the unfortunate Barnes relentlessly. Exactly what he tried to defend against it with the lieutenant never saw, but it obviously wasn't enough. The power of the spell propelled him straight across the room with practically no resistance the moment it hit, creating a hole bigger than its victim.

He stared for a moment, and then that part of the wall collapsed entirely, no doubt burying Barnes in the rubble. "…damn."

Down below, Ace gave a heavy sigh, swaying a bit as his barrier jacket returned to normal. _"That always takes a lot out of me." _After a moment, he grinned. _"I think it took more out of him, though." _Turning, he walked toward the stairs. "So, Dwight, have you-"

Something punched a hole in his stomach.

Blinking in almost mild surprise, Ace looked down slowly to see the green-scaled hand poking out of him, clawed fingers stained with blood. He looked up to see Barnes.

There had been some cracks in his human form earlier, sure, but now it might as well have shattered into a million pieces. He'd grown about twice his size, shredding what remained of his suit to pieces, and now stood on four legs...or rather, paws. Because, now that he saw the whole picture, it was apparent even to Ace that Barnes didn't follow the rules of most familiars: namely, only being based on _one _animal.

It seemed unbelievable, and more than a little nightmarish, but he couldn't argue with what was in front of him. One hand was scaled and padded on the bottom; the other had fur and was webbed. Across his body were patches of fur that segued into groups of scales and back again, like some kind of awful patchwork. In his sockets was a bizarre heterochromia – one wet dog eye, and one vertical reptile one. Similar mash-ups of the two species were present all around his body, including a tail that had sprouted out in canine like a bad rash. It was like someone had decided he should have the benefits of both animals, but without taking into account anything about how that would really work.

With a quick spin and a flick of his tail, Barnes sent Ace tumbling away bodily. He hit the ground on his stomach, forcing himself up quickly to face the monstrous familiar despite the fatigue of hyper mode ending overtaking him. His chances didn't seem helped by what he saw behind and above his opponent: Dwight, his face nearly chalk-white.

"So," Barnes drawled, his voice altered by his new form, ":that'd be one for me, and one for you." He smiled, showing off a mouth full of uneven teeth. "Somehow I've got a good feeling about the next round."

_To be continued…_

_With the situation going bad in the worst possible place, the other officers of Section Thirteen race to finish their battles before the Lost Logia can unleash its power. Can they do it in time? Will Ace and Dwight be alright? And is there anything more to Quattro's plan waiting in the wings?_

_Found out next time, in Stone Cold. _

Kinneas – Glad you've been enjoying the story so far. The tension disappearing might be a legitimate concern with me, given my updating schedule, so I hope I don't bore you or anyone else reading, heh. I also hope this one didn't dispel it – rest assured, this arc is the least exciting one I have planned.

Well, until next time, see you guys, and I hope you all had a Very Merry Christmas and have a happy New Year.


	8. Stone Cold

**Section Thirteen**

**Chapter Eight: Stone Cold**

**Planet Gardius – 1949 Hours – Skies above the City**

"_D-dammit, _this _on top of everything else…?"_

For perhaps the first time that night, Katie considered herself (and Barnes; if she died because of their connection, she'd make him pay for it, simple as that) lucky. There was a nice, flat roof just underneath her – something awfully handy to have available when it suddenly felt like a siphoning tube had been hooked up to your linker core. Ducking into the fall rather than resist, she stumbled touching down on the stone surface, but didn't fall. No, that wouldn't be happening today if she could even barely help it.

She stood there crouched, breathing in and out, until the link connecting them stabilized. Letting one last huff out, Katie rose, now with something else to think about besides her own screw-ups. _"That can only mean one thing: Barnes has gotten serious." _The lightning mage frowned. _"But, why? He can't be fighting either of the Captains, we saw to that...those two couldn't have given him _that_ much trouble, could they?" _Sure, that blonde kid was supposed to be some kind of artificial human, but she'd seen Barnes rip apart entire _groups _of enemy mages before! But it had happened, and there was no reason to doubt that was why: the familiar never did anything in a fight that wasn't necessary, and there was certainly no narcissism or pride about him that would keep him from unleashing his animal form.

Although, did it really matter how those two had managed to push him so far – the pull on her mana increasing that much meant he was about to push back, in a very big way. Katie had only seen him do so once before; that she hadn't fallen unconscious or spat up blood when it happened was one of the reasons she such a valued member of the Angelo Team. Her lips quirked upward in a slow smile. _"Well, I guess there's no longer any problem: even if Alyssa shakes off Glenn, she's not going to get past Barnes in a hurry. And it can't be long before our trump card is ready…"_

As if on cue (like a lot of things tonight, oddly enough), her cell phone went off. Retrieving it and tucking the knives into her barrier jacket in one smooth movement, she answered with cheer that was far less artificial than it would have been a few moments ago. "Hello, Mr. Quattro?"

"Katie, dear," Quattro said, sounding quite pleased himself, "I stepped out from that dreadful party and am on my way up to the penthouse now. According to our consultant on that Logia, it should be going off any minute now. I trust you're not too wrapped up to come watch the excitement?"

"Not at all, Mister Quattro, not at all." Katie replied coolly. "It was getting a bit boring, anyway. I'm hardly one to miss out on the fruits of my labors, after all."

She could sense him smiling on the other end of the connection. "That, and I have a few…doubts about just how trustworthy their information was on it. Best to have someone more capable than I around just in case, hm?"

One part of the thunder-wielding criminal swelled with pride, while another suddenly gave a great shudder. "Yes, of course, I'll be right there in just a minute. Maybe even literally, ha ha."

"_And hopefully Barnes will be done by the time I am," _she added as she hung up, _"but given my luck tonight, I doubt it. Well, maybe that archeologist will turn out to be right about it after all…" _She waited a moment, and then snorted viciously. _"As if."_

In another part of the city, Mercedes sneezed.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – 1950 Hours – Angelo Corporation Penthouse**

Lowering his cell phone, Quattro tucked it into his suit pocket smoothly, chuckling slightly. _"She's so charming when she tries to hide things like that." _It was obvious from the way Katie's tone that the fight hadn't gone particularly well, at least for her. That by itself didn't matter much to him (he was thankfully bereft of such sibling nonsense), but seeing such a valued worker distressed troubled him a bit. Perhaps giving her another job would help. After all, he was but a normal human. How could he hope to combat what now lay before him?

Inside a small, shielded compartment behind a broad bookshelf (the movement of which was not triggered by touching a small, inconspicuous book, but a nearly invisible part of his desk; that was a cliché he could do without), sat the Logia. Not the bomb – that was a brutish weapon, barely a footnote in what he had planned. No, this was far more extravagant than the spherical explosive that lay so far beneath him now. Perhaps some esteemed Belkan sculpture had been tasked with crafting the outer shell? Yes, that sounded just right! It was only appropriate that he own such a masterpiece of an artifact, hm?

It was almost twice his height sitting crouched in the chamber, which was barely big enough to contain it. The consultant hadn't been able to determine exactly what material it was made of, but the black, nearly obsidian surface seemed to gleam whenever he laid eyes upon it. Whatever group had made it must have been a superstitious bunch; the furled wings and curled horns spoke firmly on just what type of being it was made to resemble. Ah, every culture had to have some bogeymen, didn't they? Of course, typically they didn't have a good chance of being real…

For the moment, the gargoyle's eyes were shut tightly, like a toy with the power switched off. It didn't look like anything could wake it up short of Armageddon, and they'd certainly tried. Shooting it – or having others do so for him – explosives, even having Barnes go at it for a few minutes, nothing seemed to do the trick. But the statue would always, slowly but surely, heal itself from any wounds. That was when they'd found Mercedes, or rather she'd found them. She was quick to decipher some writing on the logia, and came up with the answer: it was simply out of power.

But no normal battery would suffice, naturally. Even the mages they had hired hadn't been able to make it more than twitch. No, something with a bit more kick was needed: say, a long battle's worth of energy from an entire Bureau squad. Something like that, anyway. Hooked up all around the statue were strange, solid-looking tubes that disappeared through holes in the closet's walls and floor. When the bomb went off, they would (hopefully) transfer the expelled energy all the way up from the underground room to here. If that wouldn't activate the Logia, nothing would.

Sighing contentedly, Quattro poured himself a drink from his cabinet. There was really nothing better than a plan that unfolded just how you planned.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Hidden Room underneath Rafflesia Industries – 1951 Hours**

"_Come on, come on, hurry up, Gates!"_

Dwight sat crouched low to the ground behind the railing on the second floor – not out of a worry Barnes would see him (once he was pissed off and focused on something, nothing short of him plugging the familiar in the back would change that), but because he'd take anything that might dull the sounds he was hearing right now. The interference all across the room was making Gates' search for the Logia slow going, and while it was going on that left Ace to be a…distraction.

It made sense. The kid could definitely take more of a beating than he ever could, and he'd stepped over Barnes' territory something fierce. Saying the d-word hadn't helped much, either. It was the smart move. But…Dwight choked down an urge to go running in that direction and kept concentrating on the spell. That was all he could do for the moment, other than wait for _someone _to show up, even if hoping that was a bit kiddy. _"Not that I really give a damn," _he thought as another meaty thud came from below.

But even if he could resist that urge physically, it still made itself known in other ways. The sniper shook as the locks on his memories began to loosen, filling his head with voices.

"…_shouldn't be any surprises. Just keep in mind that some of them are wounded already, and they're bound to be nervous. I don't think I need to remind any of you what someone can do when they're cornered. Stay calm and do it right, is that clear?"_

"_Shouldn't? There ain't _gonna _be any surprises with Dwight watching our backs, Chief. Isn't that right, Dwight? You're a good enough sharpshooter to corral these punks."_

"_Well, you'd know, Max. I've gotten so used to bailing your ass out that it's practically instinct by now. So don't you worry your pretty little head about it."_

Dwight quickly shook his head to shoo away the talking, and spoke to his device before it could come back. "Gates, how much more is this going to take? I don't want to bring home my newest partner in a body bag!"

"_Jamming in the area is making things problematic, sir. Please be patient; I am trying my best."_

It was pretty sad when your gun sounded calmer than you at the moment. "Okay, I get it. You're sure there's not _anything _I can do?"

He hadn't intended it as anything more than a hypothetical question, but he watched as Gates paused for a moment too much to be comfortable before replying. _"It would be possible to increase the intensity of the search, sir, but-"_

His wielder interrupted him quickly. "Then why didn't you say so earlier!" Dwight demanded loudly. "If there's a faster way, then lay it on me, now! Whatever the 'but' part is, it can't be worse than somebody dying."

"_-the mana required for this could likely overtax the linker core of a mage of your rank. With respect, sir, if you become unable to seal the Lost Logia as a result, that would be _far _worse."_

Dammit. Intelligent device AI tended toward the moral side of things, but when they pulled out the logic, that meant things were _really _bad. Still, Gates had a cooler head than him at the moment. Who was he to argue with good advice, and from his partner? His ears perked up as a louder thud came from below, followed by a sharp crack – hopefully from Ace's armor. Who was he to argue? A hothead, that's what. And that was fine by him. "Do it," he said firmly.

"_Very well, sir."_

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Location Unknown – 1953 Hours**

Leonard tried to keep his mind on his work – if something as simple as watching screens and making notes could really be called work, especially with Lacerta around – but all the concentration in the world couldn't help him ignore the noises Grace was making to the left of him. In theory the booth containing the feedback system should have kept sound in just as well as it kept it out, but apparently that theory hadn't intended his co-worker. "I can't _believe _this! He's losing to some common familiar? Are you KIDDING me!"

The old roboticist flinched slightly, but leaned over to press the intercom for the booth. "Not that I think you'll care, but he's far from a normal familiar. Unless you've seen many that were made from two different species?"

Grace shrugged. "It's something new, I'll admit, but there's no style, no refinement. He's just a brute." She paused. "It reminds me of K's work, actually. Think he's doing some work on the side."

Grateful for something else to talk to, Leonard thought as his hands clicked across the keyboard. "With the history he's said to have, I wouldn't be surprised if it was some old experiment. He doesn't strike me as the type to keep much track of his work, don't you think?" A moment passed, with no replying banter. "Grace?"

The female scientist was staring straight ahead in the VR booth, completely still. A wide, almost giddy grin was on her face as she watched whatever the visor was broadcasting. Frowning, her co-worker made a few keystrokes, and a window opened on the computer displaying the same feed. He gasped. "O-oh dear…"

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Hidden Room underneath Rafflesia Industries – 1952 Hours**

Barnes punched again, hesitated, and then gave another half-hearted blow before rising. His anger had more or less run out of steam, and that was fine by him. Hitting someone just lying there got a bit old after a while – unless you were some psycho. Wasn't his fault the kid had pissed him off, right? Not a mistake he'd make again in a hurry: the guy was a complete mess. His armor had been cracked or outright broken in many places across the chest and limbs, and he was bleeding everywhere, obscuring his eyes and coating his hair. There had to be a few broken bones, too, if he was one to judge.

Okay, maybe he'd gone a _little _far. Maybe the boss had a point when he'd recommended those sessions…sighing, Barnes turned, beginning to shift back to his human form- 

-only for something to grab onto his arm midway and squeeze, applying a crushing pressure across it even through the scales. Barnes grunted, but before he could do anything about it the force shifted, tossing him across the room. Not that that really did anything: the familiar flipped around on the way, landing cleanly on all four limbs. He looked up, snarling. "You really _are _too stupid to give up, aren't you?"

When Ace turned to him, however, his anger died immediately. There was being a stubborn little ass, and then there was…this. This didn't look anything like a normal human.

The corporal was still looking at him, but the spunk, the passion he'd had in his eyes was gone. The look that replaced them was directed at him, but not in a way that acknowledged him as a person at all; just something in the way. Of course like most familiars, he was used to having that expressed, verbally or otherwise, but this was way, way different. It was like he was nothing more than a target.

But even as bad as the eyes were, they weren't anything compared to how Ace now stood. Apparently the beating he'd gave him had sprained, at the very least, his left leg, and even as he stood straight it twitched and shook, looking like he'd fall over at any moment. No-one could have an injury like that and not be screaming bloody murder, let alone standing, but the kid was managing it somehow, and combined with the eyes that made things a wee bit disturbing. All the other wounds he had seemed to affect him about as much, too, even the gut wound he'd given him: it was like he'd become-

"Situation assessed." Ace said, cutting into his thoughts. His voice matched the lack of spirit in his eyes perfectly. "Unit has sustained over fifty percent damage. As a result, Automatic Mode has been engaged." He stared at Barnes for a moment longer. "Enemy appears to be a familiar of indeterminate type. Confirmed abilities include stealth, powerful close combat skills, and highly destructive magic capabilities. Remaining abilities, if any, are unknown."

Barnes' brow twitched slightly. Hearing yourself summed up like that, even with some things messing, was more than a bit unsettling. And just a tad irritating, too.

So he thought he knew about his stealth, huh? Okay then. The bodyguard crouched lower to the ground as his body slowly vanished, leaving nothing but empty carpet where he was. Barnes quickly slipped to the side, carefully masking the sound of his footsteps as he moved to flank the kid. Just because he'd seen it a few times didn't mean squat, and neither did whatever this trance was. In the state he was in, one more tap would be enough to put him down for good.

Sliding to a halt facing Ace's back, Barnes spun, swinging his tail at the martial artist. He'd once laid out three men at once with it, and sent two of them into traction; _that _had been when they'd seen it coming. A little mean, but hey, he was supposed to be the big bad criminal, right? Wasn't his fault the kid was too stupid to lie down. And it wasn't like this would-

"_What in the #$*ing hell!"_

Barnes' backside stopped mid-swing as that vice grip was applied to him again. The only thing keeping him from face-planting on the carpet was his natural reflexes. He stared over his shoulder, wide-eyed, at Ace, who had grasped hold of his tail with both hands and was staring down at it with that cold gaze. "Enemy can use the extra limb granted by its animal nature to great effect. Removing this advantage would be strategically wise."

_That _didn't sound good. But even if he hadn't said it, the ripping pain that quickly came from that area was a clear enough sign. And no way was he going to let it happen. Flinging out his hand, he quickly threw an energy ball over his shoulder; at this range there wasn't much room to miss.. _"Well? What are you gonna do now, punk?"_

It might have been a rhetorical question, but Barnes got to see the answer anyway: absolutely nothing. Ace stood stock still and accepted the attack head-on. The orb blew apart directly in his face, lashing it back and opening another wound in his forehead. As the blood trickled down, he said calmly, "Enemy's strength within acceptable parameters. Continuing attack."

And continue it he did. Before Barnes could make to toss another projectile a quick burst of lightning from his hands stunned the familiar. Quickly, Ace jerked his hands in opposite directions, with the same air of someone breaking firewood. The tail certainly snapped like one. Its owner's scream of pain filled the room.

With the burst of adrenaline it caused, though, Barnes burst out of the grip, rolling across the floor to put a good five feet between him and the freak in just a few seconds. He'd had his tail broken once or twice before, and it always _hurt_. But the kid had done it so easily – this was really no joke after all.

Ordinarily he'd change back with it wounded like this and at least keep it from being dead weight (as excruciating as that would be), but no way was that happening now, even if he rushed it. Barnes racked his brain for a next move – so whatever mode this was had been gathering information on how he fought throughout the fight so far, eh? Easy enough solution, then: finish this scrap before he could get any more. Anyone who thought all he could do was maul people was very, very wrong. It was just all the effort he felt like using on idiots like that.

Turning invisible again, Barnes backed off, careful to keep his injured tail from dragging on the floor. _"Could be another reason why he aimed for it." _He almost expected Ace to start looking around, but no: the kid stayed rooted to that one spot. Frowning, Barnes stopped, eying him carefully. Ace still didn't move. With a nod, the familiar brought back his arm with the same manner of someone pitching a curveball. Which it technically was: the same kind of orb he'd been tossing around for this entire battle…only invisible. After all, nothing said he could only make _himself _vanish, right?

The orb flew in a wide arc, aimed to confuse anyone trying to track the sender. Taking things a step further, he leaped off in another direction to confuse things even more. Landing near the couch, he stopped to watch.

Perfect. The kid wasn't budging an inch; wasn't even looking in the shot's direction. Barnes smiled as the orb sailed within inches of Ace's bare neck. That particular shot was strong enough to knock down someone twice his size. Afterward, he'd make sure he never got up again. There wouldn't be any underestimating this time.

"Enemy attack appears to be a simplistic, curved ball of magic." Ace said coldly as he brought one fist out in a lightning-fueled backhand that sent the orb sailing away into the wall, creating a sizable crater.

"_I really should have kept my goddamn mouth shut, huh?" _Barnes swore, quickly moving from his position.

A good thing, too, as Ace's eyes snapped to his position right after the attack had been deflected. "From the trajectory of the attack, enemy coordinates are estimated roughly…here." This last word was spoken as he suddenly leaped to the side, intercepting the hybrid familiar with a knee to the face. Barnes reeled backward, part out of shock and part from the force of the hit; something his opponent quickly exploited by reaching up and grabbing his still transparent head, thrusting himself downward as he did so. "Enemy's invisibility presents a problem. Neutralizing."

Barnes let out another curse when his back hit the ground, meaning his tail did too. Again. Even before they'd come to rest, he lashed out with a savage claw slash, opening another hole in Ace's chest. At the same time, the strike artist hit him in the jaw; he flinched as the accompanying jolt ran through it, numbing the area almost instantly. "Damn little-" He growled, throwing another punch, this one filled with more anger.

Ace grabbed it out of the air by the wrist, pumping more raw lightning into it immediately. "Disabling enemy's ability to counterattack."

Clenching his teeth together to keep a howl of pain from escaping, Barnes watched as his arm fell back twitching uselessly, paralyzed. _"Bastard…you're not riding me like some pack mule, or breaking me like one!" _The corporal took another blow from him, this one strong enough to fling him off the familiar. He hit the ground rolling, and quickly came up in a rush. From there the fight continued.

Up above, Dwight was oblivious to all this; he had his own battle to worry about. From what he had read and heard, it was possible for some mages to get around this AMF dickery by making subtle changes or additions to spells, or just brute forcing it if you didn't want to bother. And, hey, that was pretty great – if you weren't one of those people that got short-changed in both categories. Maybe if he'd been brought up to figure this stuff out, but the place he had grown up had taught him some other lessons.

He exhaled deeply, breathing in with the same strength a moment later. It was just good luck he had cover to do this behind: taking away the gun, this was just what he usually did all day. You just had to keep calm and concentrate: freaking out would only make this take longer and definitely wouldn't make it tax him any less.

And tax him it was. He usually tried hard not to expend mana in excessive bursts, after a...mistake he had made while learning how to control everything. That style was coming back to bite him now in a big way. His linker core, unused to channeling such a prolonged, needy spell, was giving him fits in the form of the occasional shudder, burning in his eyes, and as of now, a slight swimming in his vision. That was probably a bad thing, huh.

"_Dwight?"_

Hearing things now, too, that was definitely – _"Oh, uh, that you Jeanne?"_

"_Captain." _she corrected. _"How are you and Ace doing? We haven't heard from you in a little…hah! While."_

"_Well…that depends on how much the answer might distract you. If it's a lot, we're doing fine."_

The brief pause that came did what the biggest scowl couldn't hope to. _"I'm going to do you a favor and ignore that, if you actually answer my question."_

Dwight rolled his eyes, slumping a bit more as he did so. _"Okay: Ace is getting his ass kicked by Quattro's muscle, this whole basement is covered in AMF jamming, and we have absolutely no idea where the bomb is. Happy?"_

"_No. Ugh."_

"_You alright?"_

"_Yeah, no problem-"_

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Jeanne's Location – 1954 Hours**

"_-I just have to finish dealing with an asshole first."_

Even if you had risen through the ranks to make captain, that didn't mean in any way that you were as invincible as certain _other_ mages of that rank were purported to be. A few missteps, some brief hesitation, and Jeanne had now backed into the space between two buildings, staring at the massive wave of acid, the largest so far, that had spread out to surround the opening. Gibbs stood in front of it, smiling. Even if she used Flashpoint's Boiler setting, with him this close he could easily keep her from getting away.

"Well now, looks like things are about over, eh 'Captain'?"

Jeanne toyed around with her cigarette a bit. "Really? What makes you think that, exactly?"

Gibbs' glee didn't change an iota. "Oh, trying to make me a little unsure, are we? Not a bad idea, but I'm afraid it's not going to work."

"I'm not bluffing."

"Sure you're not." Gibbs said happily, and then snapped his fingers. The wave rose, surged and fell, quickly covering the alley's entrance with the deadly liquid. The smuggler folded his arms, listening to the sound of melting ground, sizzling stone – music to his ears. Well, all that was left was to get a record of the body. The top dog here was a stickler for details.

After a few steps, however, he stopped cold. _"What was…" _he squinted into the steam. But there was no-

Charging out of the alleyway, the last traces of her water shield falling away, Jeanne lifted the object in her hand and swung it down: not the large bulk of Flashpoint, but a slim handle ending in an axe-blade made of water. Gibbs took a step back, quickly bringing up his harpoon to block using its handle. The two weapons clanged together, hers quickly forcing his downward.

Naturally, this made the smuggler's mood do a bit of a one-eighty. "You didn't…really strike me as the up-close type." he grunted.

"Of course," Jeanne said calmly, and then blew a puff of smoke into his face, "wouldn't be a surprise if I did, now would it?" Despite her attitude, she hadn't escaped the attack unharmed; large portions of her barrier jacket's sleeves and midriff had been burned away, along with some of her hair. She didn't seem to notice.

This did nothing to distract him, of course; it was only smoke. That was the job for the boot to the gut she gave him immediately after. Gibbs grunted, stumbling back, and fired a quick ball of acid from his palm. Almost contemptuously, Jeanne smacked it away with her axe, stepping forward to swing it at the acid mage's head again. She didn't have any fancy training with the weapon like Alyssa or Arturia, but what she did have was an implacable nature even the knight couldn't quite match. Getting out was for after you'd gotten the job done, not before. She didn't half-ass work, even if it put her up against half a man.

Furthermore, despite the shape of his device, it didn't seem like he was too skilled using it at close range, even given how cumbersome a pole-arm could be so close. He kept retreating, trying to slip away from her at every moment, only striking out or firing acid occasionally. Funny, actually; it was probably how he thought things would go if he got this close. Irony was a nice thing when you weren't on the end of it.

Finally, the smuggler's harpoon was split in half by one last strike, leaving him standing with a split, rather useless device. He stared down at them, expression nearly blank.

"Looks like things are about over, eh, 'jackass'?

"…whatever." Gibbs scowled, quickly shoving the tipped half of the harpoon downward. An unfocused, wild blast of acid short forth from it despite the damage (or perhaps due to it), making Jeanne hop backward and raise a shield. When she lowered it a moment or two later, he was gone, vanished through a human-sized hole in the concrete. Well, maybe not quite human-sized – it was probably a tight squeeze for a few little things. _"Maybe he'll run into Daniel while he's down there…as if. At least he's out of my hair."_

Walking back over to where Flashpoint lay, she dispelled the water axe and tugged at its handle, splitting it into two tubes that she reattached to the cannon: they instantly melded back into its handles. "Hope you didn't mind sitting there a bit, Flashpoint." the Captain said, picking him up and slinging him over her shoulder.

"_No problem."_

"Right, let's get to that bomb, eh?"

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Arturia and GD's location – 1956 Hours**

One of the more bitter ironies in life was this: no matter how honorably you carried yourself as a squire, knight, or even merely a person, there were always those who would, sadly, respond to it with the opposite sentiments. She had requested that the hunter stand down several times now, and been refused at each of them, with more deadly trickery than before. For the life of her, Arturia could not figure out why.

"Surrender, knave! My patience grows thin, but my blade does not!"

Yes; some people simply did not understand kindness when it was shown to them.

Johnathan stared at her a moment as she charged, and, if possible, his frown grew deeper. "No." He lifted his crossbow and pressed the trigger – but no bolt came out. Arturia wasn't quite so foolhardy as to not notice this, and stopped short, quickly moving to the side. Or at least attempting to do so: there came a crackle of energy from over her shoulder, and suddenly a bind snapped into place across her waist, quickly unleashing a forceful shock to stop her movement. Letting out a cry of pain as her steps faltered, turning with one eye at whatever the source of this was. The bind's chain split after a few feet, leading to two arrows Johnathan had fired earlier that were stood firmly in the ground.

"I don't fire any useless arrows, girl." The hunter spoke calmly as he lifted his crossbow.

Arturia bit her lip; there would only be one way to avoid this. Steeling herself, she dove forward. Unsurprisingly, the chain let out a fierce shock in return that somehow sneaked through the protection offered by her armor. That seemed to be a theme with him. The dame knight ignored it, plunging on ahead with grit teeth, the bolt sailing over her lowered head. She struck…

…and Johnathan slid aside from the attack like a drop of oil in clear water, pulling back his arm as he did so. A glistening blade of dark energy appeared over its wrist, and he plunged it forward with the air of someone who'd dealt with a lot of small, irritating animals, and didn't find anything different on this occasion. The blade snaked straight toward her breastplate, on the left side. Arturia tried to move, but it was far too late at this point. Was she-?

There came a howl from the opposite side of the impromptu arena, and Johnathan's eyes flicked that way to swell with shock – one instant before a giant, roaring bear collided with him back-first. The two tumbled across the cobblestones, and the hunter wasn't quite able to disentangle himself before the momentum petered out and he was suddenly underneath more than half-a-ton of angry mammal.

Arturia stared at the sight for a moment (it was truly a unique one, even in her chosen duties) before turning to GD, who was approaching calmly. "782…" she murmured.

"**Statement: I trust you are not harmed, Lady – ah, I see. You would not do that otherwise." **The gadget drone paused. **"Contemplation: or on second thought, perhaps-"**

He stepped back as his superior raised her hand again. "Exactly what were your intentions interfering in my battle like that, 782?" She leaned forward. "Do you think me incapable of defending myself?"

"**Negative: no, Lady Lackland."**

"That my skill with a blade is mere boasting?"

"**Negative: no, Lady Lackland."  
**

"That I am a mere damsel, rather than a proud knight?"

"**Negative: no, Lady Lackland."**

Frowning, Arturia nodded almost fiercely, turning away from him and holding up an arm to bar his path. "Then it seems I will have to remind you of exactly who I am."

"…**Affirmative: yes, Lady Lackland."**

Changing her grip on Frangir, she stalked off down the road. By this time, Johnathan had gotten himself out from under the bear by shooting it in…an uncomfortable place. It sat there scratching back and forth, while its master stretched, popping his shoulders. He didn't look too pleased, but then, neither would Arturia had someone hurled GD at her. Johnathan glared at the girl, taking a step backward, but her attention was no longer on him for the moment. "Please pay close attention, GD; this is how you wield a sword."

She said this without looking back, which was a good thing, since it meant she didn't see GD's body language at the moment: one hand wrapped over his eye. **"Affirmative: yes, Lady Lackland…"**

"…_are they a pack of imbeciles?" _the hunter thought to himself, his outward expression not changing an iota. With one hand he gestured to the bear, who uttered a short roar of reply before hopping in front of its abusive master.

Arturia seemingly ignored it, staring past at the one in charge. "When in battle, you must focus deeply on your opponent; everything else is a mere distraction!"

Johnathan twitched his wrist, and the animal tensed itself and leaped, claws at the ready to dash the knight off her feet. Small prey like this was helpless after that, and its simple mind didn't give it any reason to doubt this. Unfortunately.

"But, furthermore, you must also focus on your sword!" Arturia cried, lunging forward quicker than the predator to thrust Frangir hilt-first into its nose. Evidently the ursine wasn't expecting this: it fell back with a startled choke. "For it is both your weapon and who you are!" Before the familiar could recover, she slipped around to its side, drawing back her device as it let off a blinding glow. **"Micans-"  
**

The bear scrabbled to get out of the way as the red aura appeared over its belly again, this time defensively. Arturia didn't appear to notice. **"Exturbo!" **

GD couldn't help but wince as the blow struck. The barrier had dulled the attack somewhat, but she had ultimately won out, and there was no ignoring the fact that her weapon was a blade longer than the average person's arm. He watched as the left-over force of the attack sent the familiar rolling across the asphalt, staining the material crimson as it went.

This too was beyond the knightess' notice – she had turned to charge at Johnathan the moment his bodyguard was out of the way. "You must never hesitate when facing your opponent! Such second-guessing is an insult to both you and the training you have undergone!" She punctuated this by swinging Frangir in a wide cleaving strike, aiming for his side.

Left behind, GD thought about replying, and then shrugged. _**"If she was still speaking to me at this point, I would be very surprised."**_

With the same quickness he'd been displaying throughout this skirmish, Johnathan leaped backward, evading the swinging blade by scant inches. He then slipped ahead almost snake-like, the wrist-blade appearing once more. "You really don't learn, do you?"

The weapon stopped short before her breast plate. "On the contrary," Arturia spoke calmly, the hand wrapped around the blade not shaking at all, "a true knight knows when to adapt. Frangir, Gladius Mode!"

Johnathan wouldn't have lived half as long as he had if he didn't know when something unpleasant was coming. He tried to retreat, but the bind suddenly wrapped around his arm made that a bit difficult. Changing her grip on the shortening sword and tightening it on the dagger, the lieutenant pushed herself forward, swinging the short sword up and left almost savagely.

The hunter grunted as the flat of the blade collided with his head, rattling him despite the protection of his barrier jacket. Arturia added to it with a kick, sending him reeling backward. "Now, it is OVER!" she cried, bringing Frangir up high and slashing him downward. It was aimed to be a shallow blow, only intended to enforce to him what would happen if he continued to resist.

But rather than the cry of pain and the desperate, begging apology she had expected (or something along those lines, at any rate), there came an ever so slight popping noise, and her vision became filled with billowing smoke.

Backing off a few steps, Arturia held her blade in defensive posture and waited for the smoke to clear. She expected to hear footsteps behind her at any moment – but that would mean putting his back to 782, a very dangerous position to be in and an error he would quickly realize. But nothing like that came. Confused, she watched as the smoke cleared-

"WHAT!"

"**Analysis: I believe that he has escaped, Lady-"**

Arturia whirled around, resisting a deep urge to jump at least a foot in the air. "Y-yes, of course he did. You do not need to explain that to me, 782. I was merely surprised."

"**Statement: yes, that is understandable, after being so earnest about proving your abilities."**

His 'lady' stood wordless for a moment, and then brushed past him. "Is that an attempt at humor, or another of your observations?"

"**Query: which would you prefer, Lady Lackland?"**

"…hmph. At any rate, let us be off. I doubt the hunter will trouble us again tonight."

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Daniel and Otavi's location – 1958 Hours**

"You are…beginning to VEX me!"

Daniel stared at Mercedes as she stamped her foot (and didn't trip; if only), giving the scepter a vicious wave. "Give up and stand still, Daniel Trail! You are only wasting my time!"

The illogic of complaining about that while there was a bomb about to go off nearly burned a brain cell or two out in the archeologist's head. "Yeah, you're using your time _real _well." he muttered. But sadly, it seemed wasting her time was pretty much all he was prepared to do. Otavi's help was saving his sorry hide, sure, but it was all he could do to keep up with the signs she was giving him. Unless Mercedes totally screwed up all of a sudden – which, okay, could happen – it was only a matter of time before he got tired and, well, crunch. Or wham, or splat, or whatever she felt like doing. That was the problem with having a good vocabulary; it let you have all kinds of mental images you _seriously_ didn't need.

He cast a quick glance over at his partner. The shoe hadn't dropped for Mercedes yet, like it hadn't for a lot of people, and her attention was pretty much pin-pointed on him at the moment, but a few crystals had come the musician's way from sheer bad aim. She'd avoided most of them with her usual surprising agility, but one must have clipped Otavi in the side, judging from the darker red staining her dress. He frowned. Of course, anyone from Ancient Belka could probably carry around a hit like that all day – but that didn't mean he had to like it.

The girl caught his gaze, and flicked her eyes to the side. Daniel knew a single when he saw one, and leaped to the side just as the crystal field grew spikes where he'd been standing. Of course, doing this left him sliding across on his stomach, which probably wasn't the best position to be in with this fight. He dug his heels in, and gulped as a wall rose in his path. No way could he slow down _that _fast.

A sudden source of whiplash was almost enough to make him crack his head against the crystals; fortunately his chin took care of that well enough. Oh, and then it got dragged backward across the uneven surface, which was _really _pleasant. Trying to keep his head raised, he looked back and wasn't particularly surprised to find a make-shift vine rope wrapped hastily around his leg – it stretched further as he watched, looking further up it to Otavi, who waved her violin bow at him. The instrument itself was tucked in the crook of her other arm, which was currently holding the vine's opposite end.

Mercedes whirled on the girl, clacking her teeth together in annoyance. "You little shrew! I _was _going to let you go, but if you MUST insist on getting in my way, then…" The scepter was flung out toward Otavi. **"Emerald Splash!"**

"Don't you touch her, dammit!" Daniel cried, kicking his leg to try and get free of the vine. But nothing doing; it was wrapped around him tighter than any hole he'd squeezed through, and that was saying something. Even as he did, though, he watched Otavi turn to him and ever-so-slightly shake her head. _"Huh?"_

The violinist watched as the charged crystals zipped toward her, eyes holding the same sereneness as always. Then, no more than a half-second before things would have become very messy indeed, she moved, suddenly standing in the one place the jewels weren't. Almost casually, she released the vine, retrieved her bow and placed it to her instrument. A calm, melodious chord was released through the area.

"…s-so!" Mercedes stammered after a moment. "You really want to fight, then?"

"Yes."

Daniel, who had been taking the opportunity to back off a bit now that the crazy lady's attention wasn't on him, gulped. His partner didn't talk that often (which, hey, was fine by him), but when she talked like _that_, things were about to get…well, different.

You could say at least one thing about Mercedes-Benz Vito if you cared to, and that was that she wasn't one to be in doubt for long. "Oh, indeed? Then I'll sure to give you _plenty _to deal with! **Ruby Bombardier!**"

Quick as a flash, Otavi began playing her instrument even before the red-hot projectiles had been summoned. The same harmonious tune came from it, and the sound almost seemed to go right through Daniel. He could tell the same was true for Mercedes just from a glance. "Hmph! What kind of…song is that meant to be?"

The only thing this received in terms of a reply was a slight head cock. Otavi was still Otavi, after all, and she kept playing, beginning to weave in and out of the attacks, gradually coming closer as she did. Some of the attacks hit their mark, but only in a strictly technical sense; it would have taken a keen eye to tell their effects beyond merely ripping her dress. The crystal surface also failed to impede her movement at all, which was the kind of thing someone who had spent hours figuring out how to move around despite could get very irritated by.

"Is this some kind of _joke_?" Mercedes yelled, stamping her foot against the ground as she fired more of the jewels. "Are you cheating? You have to be cheating somehow! **Ruby Bombardier!**"

But no matter how fiercely she fired or ranted, the 'authority' simply couldn't keep the girl from approaching. Closer and closer she came, as did her music, until it seemed to be playing directly into Mercedes' skull. She stepped back, firing one last useless salvo, and let out a sharp intake of breath as Otavi stopped right in front of her, the song reaching its crescendo…

…to peter out with one high, sudden note. In the silence afterward, Otavi lowered her bow and took a low, sweeping bow.

Daniel stared. He had a feeling even he'd never seen _this _before.

Mercedes certainly hadn't, and it didn't improve her mood. "Y-you – you _little_-!" She lifted her scepter in one mighty motion.

"Hm?" The woman archeologist paused. For a moment, she almost thought she had heard a shaking from below. But that was utterly impossible: her crystal magic had made Daniel simply impotent! There was no way any of his silly rocks could-

There were quite a number of possible phrases Daniel could have used to describe what he saw next, which was a giant, leafy, toothy bud tear itself free from the earth in the same way a shark does after a particularly juicy-looking guppy. Mercedes had time to let out a little squeak before it folded over her completely; her muffled cries were quickly heard from within.

Of course, there was a lady present, so he dialed it back a tad.

"Holy _shit_!"

A tad.

Otavi didn't seem to notice, anyway. Placing her bow back on the violin briefly, she murmured, **"Crescendo of Calling." **Then she suddenly turned on Daniel, motioning from him to the bud with the instrument. Her eyes held a rather strange glimmer to them. "Well?"

It took a moment so sink in, but Daniel grinned widely when it did. "I like the way you think sometimes, Otavi."

As soon as the shock of being swallowed whole had worn off, Mercedes had set about beating the inside of the flower with her scepter. It probably wasn't the best plan of attack for a mage, but that didn't occur to her right now so much as being hot and smelly and wet and ew ew ew let me out let me out _let me ouuuuuut_!

Rather obligingly, the bud did. Vertically.

For a moment, Mercedes stared at the retreating ground in the typical manner of a ground mage becoming a flying one without actually learning flight. Naturally, flailing ensued; no matter how pretty jewels were they weren't much use at this height. By coincidence the tumbling happened to turn her gaze downward, and what she saw there only increased her frantic movement.

"_Yo."_ Daniel said pleasantly, leaning up against a slab of concrete bigger than he was (and thus, nearly as big as Mercedes). _"So, about all that business with the jewels, and the shooting, and almost killing me like a half dozen times…"_

Mercedes' mouth opened, but nothing as sophisticated as words came out.

"_It's, well…" _ his grin widened. _"I'm sure a smart lady like you can get the idea, right?"_

The only response he got was a slight whimper. Bringing back his shovel, Daniel sized up the slab for a moment like it was just a baseball, he pulled back the digging tool at the same time he stamped the ground with one leg. With a small, localized tremor the chunk rose into the air a foot or so, and he slammed it hard like a tee ball. The concrete flew upward, right into Mercedes.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Daniel sighed in content at the wonderful noise, craning his neck back to watch as she fell. The girl disappeared beyond the buildings, but a crash could be dimly heard a moment later. He snickered for a moment, which died off when he saw Otavi giving him a look of reproach. "…well, what? She started it."

To his even greater surprise, the girl abruptly let out a weary sigh. "How disgraceful."

"Huh?"

Otavi tilted her head to one side, look now turning quizzically.

"N-never mind," Daniel said, quickly dropping it. He didn't know where that had come from, but it wasn't somewhere he wanted to prod. "Let's get over to that creep's ballroom at the double, alright?"

She nodded.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Angelo Corporation Penthouse – 2003 Hours**

Quattro lowered his cell-phone and frowned slightly. He'd hoped Johnathan and Gibbs would have been able to stall for a little longer than that. Mercedes…well, no doubt she tried her best. It was the last he could do to indulge her, after the help she had offered. More unsettling, though, was the fact that Barnes hadn't answered. He didn't think for a moment that his bodyguard being unconscious was the reason, and that was unfortunate, because it was the far less dangerous possibility.

Pondering a moment, the executive opened another drawer in his desk and withdrew a small remote. It was nondescript, save for a prominent red button. He held a certain amount of respect for Barnes, he truly did, but you couldn't let personal feelings override common sense. Keeping something prepared for those close to you was just smart – and of course, it was far easier. _"Besides; with most of the work already done for me there was no point _not_ going ahead with it." _

Of course, it was a gamble: there were a handful of perfectly harmless reasons he couldn't come to the phone at the moment, and pressing the button could ruin his role, and given how crucial it was, the entire plan. But on the other hand, if Barnes was off the deep end at the moment, this might be just the thing he needed to get back to his senses. Yes, certainly a gamble.

But if it was one single lesson his parents had left him, it was this: sometimes, you had to be a gambling man. He pressed the switch.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 **

**Planet Gardius – Hidden Room underneath Rafflesia Industries – 2004 Hours**

Even given everything about the evening that meant both impending and imminent doom, Dwight had to find this fight a little interesting. It was almost a case study: a walking computer versus a primal force. Whatever trance Ace had lapsed into seemed to be able to make all kinds of calculations (and felt like broadcasting that fact, for some reason; seemed like a design flaw), and was physically powerful enough to pull off whatever solution he came up with, not to mention ignoring the injuries he'd sustained before slipping into it.

To an extent, at least: Barnes might not have been modified to that extent, but he was still a great deal more than the sum of his parts. Ace would have demolished almost anyone else by now, familiar or mage, but he was keeping in the fight, even if he had to turn savage to do it. The martial artist had dealt out plenty of pain to Barnes early on, but the hybrid had held on and delivered some hits of his own. By now both of them were exhausted, even if Ace wasn't actually showing it.

This all left him free of any possible attention from the goon, which definitely wasn't anywhere he wanted to be now, but it didn't do anything toward helping him find this bomb. He'd figured out a few places where it _couldn't _be (for as many places _that_ could be down here), and narrowed down the possibilities quite a bit, but…he risked a glance over his shoulder just in time to see Ace take a hard blow to the face from a reappeared Barnes, spilling more blood on the carpet.

Dwight ground his teeth together, and increased his efforts. It was then that a jolt ran through him, as his probe ran into a live Tesla Coil. It reminded him of the time he'd stuck a fork in the electrical socket at the tender age of five. Put in magical terms, there was only one thing it could be. He probed the spot again, cautiously this time. Yep, no doubt about it: the Logia could only be-

"_Down there." _the sniper finished grimly, turning his eyes downward. He looked over the side again, but this time at a different spot. In-between the two staircases leading up here was a small alcove. _"It _would_ have to be, wouldn't it?" _Sighing, he ended the search, gripped hold of the railing, and slipped down.

He hit the floor lightly, thankful the carpeting helped out the good guys too, and paused. When there was no roar of outrage behind him, he nodded and slipped forward; hopefully, Barnes wouldn't happen to glance over. Ace didn't seem particularly open to teamwork at the moment.

Between the twin staircases was, to a casual glance, nothing more than a plain section of wall. But now that Dwight knew to look there, a moment's searching uncovered a switch hidden carefully within the plaster. He hit it, and part of the surface slid aside to reveal a nondescript door. _"There we go." _Without hesitation, he grabbed the handle and opened it. Inside was-

Click.

"Get inside. No sudden movements or you die."

Well, crap.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Skies above Angelo Corporation Ballroom – 2004 Hours**

"You're wondering why, huh?"

Glenn's expression didn't change, but his eyes flickered from his and Alyssa's weapons, currently locked together, up toward his sister's own. "Wondering why I'm really working with these guys, and fighting this hard about it?"

"…no." the samurai said after an icy pause. "You always did things like this back when we were together, and fought the same way every time." He tilted his head. "Isn't it just that you want to tell me why?"

He was surprised, not that he showed it, at the reaction this got: a slight shrug. "Maybe so," Alyssa agreed with an odd look in her eyes, "I won't lie, the first thing I thought of when I got Katie's letter was about what you two would think of me now." She smiled with a twinge of sadness. "After all, that was how it was back then, right? It didn't matter what anyone else thought; you two and dad were the only opinions I really cared about."

Suddenly, she shoved with extra force, pushing the ice swordsman away and pursuing. "But is that really alright?" she asked loudly, the strange look becoming firmness. "Katie might disagree about it, but you can't act like people aren't there just 'cause you don't see them. Good memories or not, the TSAB have done more to help people than the four of us ever did."

That _definitely _surprised him, icy exterior or no. Alyssa could tell. "You've changed." he remarked calmly as he parried a thrust from her using Koshiro's handle.

"Is that so surprising? People do, you know." his sibling replied, ducking under the counterstrike and launching a quick fireball that he avoided by tilting his head to one side. "Even me."

"The Alyssa I knew wouldn't have said something like that." Glenn replied, but said so far differently from how Katie would have. For a moment, his eyes almost seemed to defrost a little. Or was it only a trick of the light. "I'm _quite _surprised." The 'quite' was punctuated by a wide slash in her direction, the blade becoming lined with icy shards on the way. **"Hail Cutter."**

Displaying her usual agility, Alyssa ducked and weaved away from all of them, laughing as she did. "Now I know it was the right decision, then: anything that shocks _you _that much has to be doing _something _right!"

Glenn fell silent now – talking that much had probably tired him out. In reply instead, he lifted his free hand up and clenched hard. **"Hail Shower."**

Behind her, the captain heard the distinctive sound of ice cracking. There was only one place that could come from, even on a planet with weather like this. Turning, Alyssa eyed the dozens of tiny spears racing toward her carefully. "Huh, now that's a new one. I guess turnabout's fair play then, eh Bro?" She grinned wide. "Too bad you're as late as usual on the whole innovation thing."

Light shone on her bared teeth as she drew Bowie back, a flame igniting on his tip. "Lemme show _you_ something new, now!"

The spear began to shake in her hands, and red hot air vented from either side of its shaft. Machinery whined within Bowie as the flame reached its peak. **"CORONA-" **The device quaked.

"**WAVE!" **Alyssa finished, carrying on the roar magnificently. Gripping Bowie in both hands, she swung him out and across the sky in front of her in an arc. The flame was let loose at that moment, expelling itself into a powerful crescent that rose and billowed, wiping out all the frost needles instantly. From there she whirled around, bringing the weapon down on Glenn as he charged at her from behind.

The ensuing clash was even – for about a moment, before the ice trinity's eyes widened when fire beat ice in a very big way, sending him hurtling straight into the roof of the building below. Alyssa lowered her device and let out a long breath as it cooled off, watching the cloud of dust rise upward from whatever place it had been. Maybe he landed on something soft? Yeah, right.

"Come on, man," she muttered, tapping Bowie against her leg, "I _know _that wasn't enough to-"

The girl felt a brief gust of cold wind from very close by, before another sensation ran through her: one of pain. Alyssa's teeth clacked together as she forced down a cry of pain, and perhaps more importantly, forced herself to dive forward, whirling around quickly.

Glenn was there, that cold, appraising look now fully back in his eyes now. They flickered to the new wound his sister bore on her side. Just a second of being under it was enough to make her uncomfortably aware that it was only a side wound because he'd chose to make it that way. A gulp rose in her throat. _"Yeah, he was always better at the whole stealth thing than me and Katie, huh…" _She shuddered as a cold pang from the cut ran through her.

"This battle is far from over." said the samurai, readying a stance.

"_Greaaaaat."_

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Hidden Room Inside the Hidden Room underneath Rafflesia Industries – 2005 Hours**

Dwight tried to keep his nerves down as he heard the door click shut behind him. The AMF interference was at its strongest in here, of course, so even if Ace was in a state to listen he might still not hear him. He was alone.

For a moment, he wondered if it was possible to block even a normal gunshot from this close. Even some of the tougher mages in the Bureau probably couldn't manage that, and he wouldn't consider himself one of them in a million years. And of course, that was assuming anyone good enough to get the drop on him like that was even using a _normal _gun. Turning around to find out personally didn't seem very conducive to his health.

Speaking of the gun, the pressure of it increased on his skull now. "Now, drop your device and kick it over here." They didn't add to do it slowly this time; guess they figured he had enough incentive to remember. The tone in their voice certainly gave that impression, even through the distortion in it. _"A modulator? Definitely not one of Quattro's guys, then, or a rival gang goon, either. Or at least, not a _local _one…why am I thinking about this now?"_

Apologizing inwardly, he released Gates, and when the device had finished clattering to the floor, nudged it behind him. There was the sound of a more forceful kick from behind, and the rifle spinning into one corner of the tiny room. He winced, before the gun prodded him again, this time in the back. Stifling a growl, Dwight stepped forward, and for the first time noticed the Logia.

It wasn't particularly big, and whoever had made the thing hadn't designed it to be foreboding or ominous, or, well, like anything at all. It was just a black, 'metal' (for lack of a better word) orb about half as big as a person. The only distinguishing aspect clearly wasn't part of it: a set of sturdy looking tubes clamped onto the back of it. They led up to the top of the far wall and disappeared through, heading off to who knew where. But what the bomb lacked in appearance it easily made up for with the aura of danger it gave off. This wasn't something people should just be messing around with. It had a life of its own.

The prodding stopped once he was in front of the Logia. For a moment he could sense his assailant looking at the bomb, and maybe thinking the same as him, before they spoke again. "Well? What do you think?"

To put it mildly, Dwight hadn't expected that kind of reply. "W-what?"

He half-expected the gun to press in harder, or to get hit with it, but nothing happened. "The Logia," they said patiently, "can you do anything about it? Turn it off, or even slow it down?"

The w-word rose on his lips again, but the patience of people with guns wasn't infinite. Instead he replied more constructively, "No. You'd need dedicated knowledge on how one of these works to make it do anything, and probably a more skilled mage than some grunt like me…or so I've heard, anyway." Probably not the smartest thing to say here, but if it came to getting shot or being caught in a city-sized explosion, he'd gladly take the former, thank you very much. Then again, even some BS might have worked there: it didn't seem like they were a mage.

There was silence for a moment, but instead of the shot Dwight had expected to hear, there came the faint clicking of a tongue. "That's a problem, then. It's going to go off soon, and it has enough energy stored inside it to do almost anything, thanks to you all."

"Thanks, we're aware of the situation."

"I should hope so," the person said briskly, apparently ignoring the counter remark, "since you played such a large part in causing it. Not that you really had much choice in the matter, I suppose."

The calmness the voice held was something Dwight envied right now, and more importantly, probably didn't come from someone who'd shoot you for talking back, at least if you were careful with exactly how you did it. "Well, seeing as how you're so informed, what's your plan on how to stop it? I was planning to play things by ear once I actually found it, to tell the truth."

His attacker hmphed. "How professional of you. I was hoping one of you would have some idea, myself, but that doesn't matter now. Do you see those tubes attached to it?"

"They're not meant to be there."

"Of course not." The gunner agreed simply. They paused for a moment or so. "The criminal who engineered things tonight is planning to siphon off the energy produced by the Logia detonating, and use it elsewhere."

Dwight's mouth tightened. "The power from an entire squad of mages, some of them A rankers, fighting for this long – he could do almost anything. But the energy from a fully charged Logia-"

He could sense the figure nodding. "Could easily be enough to power another Logia. And probably one far more precise."

Precise could mean almost anything when it came to a Lost Logia, but the lieutenant's mind couldn't help but add the words 'at murdering you' onto the end of that statement. Just the way his mind worked, he guessed. Trying not to think about the possibilities, he replied, "That's a fine kettle of fish, then; damned if you do, damned if you don't. What are we supposed to do now?"

"You? Absolutely nothing."

It wasn't the gunshot he'd been expecting, but the butt of whatever gun they held dropped him about as quickly as one. Skull ringing like a gong, Dwight fell, vision swimming already. The last thing he glimpsed before losing consciousness entirely was a pair of black boots striding over where he had stood. _"Damn…probably should have seen…that one co…ming…"_

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Jeanne's Location – 2007 Hours**

"_Okay, Dwight this is the last time. I swear to the Kaiser if you're playing a joke on me, I'll…well, you probably know what. Which means you probably wouldn't be stupid enough to do that in the first place, huh?"_

Honestly though, she would have preferred that a little. If Dwight didn't have the energy to be a louse, that meant he was either unconscious, or…or unconscious. Leave it to him to screw up right when it mattered. Now she'd have to pick up the slack. But before that… _"Alyssa, has anything-"_

"_Ask Arturia!" _her opposite captain quickly snapped, and cut the connection.

Jeanne paused for a long moment, and then reached for a cigarette: suddenly she needed another one. _"Arturia?" _she asked after a full drag. _"Is anything-"_

"_I assume _she _asked you to ask me? Honestly, I have half a-"_

Water Squad's leader blew out a vicious blast of smoke. _"Shut up. Do something useful and tell me what you can see. If you're not in the air, get there."_

Even if Arturia could be just as much of a complete idiot as Alyssa _reaaaally _often, she knew how when not to question an order. Guess it was that Saint Knight training. After a moment or two, the acolyte replied, sounding uncertain. _"I did not think her battle had grown that fierce…"  
_

Something caught Jeanne's eye before she could reply, and she looked up to see twin flashes of light travel across the sky; one blue, the other red. They had to be more than a mile away, yet it was plain as day to her vision. _"Damn. Who the hell is that guy, anyway? Quattro's not the kind of guy who'd keep a trump card hidden _this _long."_

Arturia sounded a bit odd as she replied. _"Yes, an ice user would indeed be a great advantage against her. And a rare one, at that…hm."_

"_Something come to you?"_

"_Nothing that cannot wait until this danger has passed, Captain Stromhold." _she replied calmly. _"For now, I will go assist her. I will send 782 to rendezvous with you, if that is alright."_

Jeanne nodded. _"Sure. He'll get to me faster than Daniel and Otavi can, anyway."_

"_Quite."_

With nothing more to say, she resumed walking, faster this time. She'd just gotten a chill that had nothing to do with magic.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Hidden Room underneath Rafflesia Industries – 2007 Hours**

Above the painful ringing in his ears now, Barnes suddenly heard a new sound, one that caught his attention instantly: a high-pitched, urgent beeping. It came from the console on the far side of the room, and that could only mean one thing, that the gathering energy in the Logia had reached maximum. He smiled. Even a whole squad of the TSAB couldn't outwit Quattro; it was hopeless for them from the beginning. They'd won.

He didn't even have to left a finger, either, since the bomb was made to go off regardless of anything else. Awfully courteous of whoever had made the thing – but then again, when you were dealing with explosives specifics rarely factored into things, magic or otherwise. And that was a good thing, too, because for all the crap he'd just spewed about the TSAB, Barnes wasn't quite—

"_Ugh." _–sure he could actually _beat _this kid, in the same way he probably couldn't 'beat' a brick wall. He was certainly taking his hits like one, and retaliating like one that could move. And punch. The insulting thing was how the guy was barely even using magic, either: just some lightning coating his fists and an aura increasing his speed, and that was it. What the hell?

Then again, he wasn't really one to talk. He'd let his instincts take over for a while there, and getting into a fistfight with this kid right now was – his newly busted jaw let out a cry of pain – definitely not a good idea. Not that doing things the sneaky way had really worked on him, either, but he hadn't exactly been doing himself any favors. Switching back to that was probably a good idea, but – a series of other pangs from his limbs and elsewhere let him know it definitely wasn't a possible one.

"Target's mobility has been decreased in all areas, and they are showing fatigue." came the freak's voice as he stared at him coldly. "Now moving to finish them off."

Barnes would be lying if he said that didn't shake him a little bit. And move the kid did, crossing the small distance between them in a lightning-quick moment to grab him around the throat with one hand. Lifting him up as easily as a sack of feathers, Ace slowly drew his fist back like the wrath of some ancient god. The familiar tried not to gulp when he saw where the blow was aimed: the left side of his chest. "Now…ending…" he paused, blinking, which now that Barnes came to think of it, he hadn't been doing since he slipped into this trance. "The…" His eyes wavered, and he swayed for a moment, before falling face-first onto the carpet.

Grunting slightly as the tiny fall jarred his bruises, Barnes watched Ace warily for a moment, but he wasn't moving. He let out a low whistle. _"Lucky break, or what?"_

Behind him, another, louder alarm came from the console. Detonation was in less than ten seconds, which meant that it was now a very good time to leave…slowly.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius? – Location Unknown – 2008 Hours**

Grace sighed as she took off the visor, dropping it casually on the floor of the booth before she strode out. "Well, _that _was a bit of a disappointment."

"I'm _terribly _sorry for you." Leonard muttered vaguely, staring intently at the screen. "Whatever's going to happen tonight, it's happening now. The energy in that area is about as built-up as its going to get, I think."

"I could care less, really." replied the female scientist. "It's their problem now anyway."

Leonard frowned. "Somehow I don't think that's the case."

"Good for you."

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Skies above Angelo Corporation Ballroom – 2008 Hours**

Arturia was almost to her unruly captain's battle (even if rescuing _her _was something she hardly looked forward to) when she suddenly pulled up short, eyes widening. While it was surely true that Alyssa's battle with the man was a great source of magic, but what she had just felt made it seem like a mere scattering of embers in comparison. _"What on Midchilda?"_

Had the explosive gone off? No, all of them would know in that case. What then; another enemy mage? If so, they were in grave trouble. She resumed her flight, and came up so quickly behind Alyssa that she found Bowie's point not an inch away from her face. "…oh, it's you." she muttered. "Look, can it wait? I'm busy."

She was only saying that to make her angry. The key was not to be bothered by it. After all, no person in a position of such authority could be so…stupid, could they? "No, Captain, it may not wait. I believe that the Lost Logia's energy has just been released. Surely you noticed?"

"Huh? Oh, right, that." said the fire mage after a moment, nodding firmly. "Yeah, sure; who _couldn't _notice that?"

Trying not to grind her teeth, Arturia replied, "And you were planning to investigate today, Captain?"

Evidently the irritation in her voice was well apparent, for Alyssa replied by narrowing her eyes with some of her own. "I _said _I was busy – I'm not the only member of the team. Ace and Dwight were supposed to be handling that, right?" She waved a hand at the buildings below them. "Seems like they did, considering that this is all still standing."

Some of this was, admittedly, true, but she was hardly going to admit that. "Yes, thank goodness. It would be a great shame if the city were destroyed while a Captain was off fighting a selfish battle."

This brought the spear back again, and closer this time. "If there's something you think you know, Lackland, then why don't you go ahead and say it. It's not very knightly to tip-toe around things."

Arturia tightened her hold on Frangir, and things might have gone in a very unpleasant direction if a weak voice hadn't suddenly spoken up. _"You two know…I can hear you right now…right?"_

They both looked down to see, far below on a certain skyscraper's roof, Anton raise one hand and wave. _"Uh, I don't mean to…but in, but arguing about it is probably pointless, since it looks like Glenn kind of…left."_

"What!" Alyssa cried, turning around to find things just as the secretary said. "GLENN! The fight's not over, you idiot! Where the hell'd you go!"

Lowering her blade, Arturia nodded. _"Yes, perhaps this is not the time. Thank you, Anton." _Aloud, she said, now a bit more calmly, "In that case, Captain, there should be no problems with nothing more to distract you, yes?"

Alyssa opened her mouth, and her expression said a lot about what the words would have been if a noise hadn't cut her off: a high-pitched scream from close nearby.

Frowning, the knight looked down where it had come from. "That came from the Angelo Corporation's building."

"In that case, there's no time to waste," her captain said quickly, "let's go."

Arturia couldn't help but stare for a moment, but who was she to question this now? She quickly descended to follow Alyssa, who had taken off in quite a hurry. _"Please stay where you are, Anton. The two of us should be enough for this."_

"…where the hell am I going to go with a broken shoulder?"Anton muttered under his breath.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

**Planet Gardius – Angelo Corporation Penthouse – 2010 Hours**

It didn't take the two very long at all to find where the scream had come from – the long stretch of broken window was a pretty big clue. The two touched down on the window-sill, peering cautiously into the gloom. The room looked like a hurricane had gone off in it: the lights were broken, showering the carpet with glass, and furniture was thrown everywhere, smashed like twigs.

The cause of it was sitting hunched in the middle of the floor, amidst the wreckage of Quattro's desk. And speak of the devil: the CEO himself was lying pinned to the floor underneath one massive stone claw, struggling futilely. As his head moved back and forth desperately, he caught sight of Alyssa and Arturia. "A-ah! If it isn't my good friends from Section Thirteen! C-ome to save me, no doubt? What _excellent _timing!"

Alyssa tapped Bowie on the window-sill, looking around the room absent-mindedly. "Wow, that's the best begging you can do?"

"My throat's a bit sore at the moment…"

The girl snorted. "Yeah, well, if you expect me to - Katie!" Her eyes had adjusted fully to the gloom, and she now saw exactly what she'd been hoping not to: the sight of her sister curled up on the floor, unmoving. "Dammit!"

"Wait!' Arturia said quickly as Alyssa stepped into the room, but it was too late. The gargoyle, who'd been focused entirely on Quattro, suddenly snapped its head over to the two women. Releasing the executive (who took the chance to slither into the corner), it slowly advanced toward them, clawed feet smashing up the floor. It didn't look like it wanted to say hello.

Pursing her lips and looking annoyed, Alyssa twirled her weapon. "So after everything that happened tonight, we end up helping him."

"It would seem that way." Arturia replied, holding up Frangir and shifting into a defensive stance.

"This night blows."

"Indeed."

_To be continued…_

_With Quattro's plans fully uncovered, Alyssa, Arturia, and the rest of the members above ground must contend with the Logia he has activated. What powers does it hold, and can they defeat it, even together? It'll take close teamwork…so they might be in trouble, actually. Find out in the finale of this case, Rock and Roll._


	9. Rock and Roll

Accidentally screwed up on the chapter listing; counting the prologue, this is the actual chapter eight, not Stone Cold.

**Section Thirteen**

**Chapter Eight: Rock and Roll**

**Planet Gardius – Hidden Room inside Hidden Room underneath Rafflesia Industries – 2012 Hours**

Dwight woke up, and immediately wished he hadn't, which would have brought back some rather mixed memories if his head didn't feel like a tiny truck had just run it over. He moved to rise, when, of course, his recollection of the last few moments came flooding back. He froze, and then looked up carefully.

His assailant was standing up against the bomb, their back to him. The sensation of danger the Logia gave off was now diminished, and the tubes connected to it hung limply, looking almost burned out. Oh, and neither of them had been vaporized; that was pretty important.

Maybe more pertinent was that this was the first actual look he'd gotten at the guy. And it just went to show, you couldn't judge a book by its cover. Although covered head to toe in a black combat suit dealie, he couldn't have been more than a tad over five feet. Other than that any features about him were concealed, save for one odd fashion choice: the left shoulder-pad on his outfit was painted the bloody red of a fresh wound. Bit of an ego, then, even if his voice didn't show it. Neither did the way he held his rifle, even one-handed (the left, not that it mattered much) It definitely wasn't an ordinary model: it was bulky, and had what seemed to be several other chambers along-side the main barrel.

He looked around briefly, and frowned. It increased his opinion of the new guy a little more, but he'd have preferred Gates being left nearby him, thank you very much. The sniper rifle sat against the wall, a good three feet away at least. Tentatively Dwight reached out, only to snatch his hand back when a bullet intersected the distance. "I'll give you some credit and assume you didn't actually think that would work," the soldier (he had to be something like that) spoke up deathly calm, "but please don't try to waste my time. I'm a bit busy here."

Dwight looked closer, and saw he was bent over slightly, aiming a blade protruding from his left glove at the bomb's surface carefully. The sniper tried to resist a sudden scramble for the door. "Are you crazy? You can't just go poking around that thing, even if it is inactive!"

The soldier turned their head, allowing him a brief glance at a bulky gas mask before they returned to probing. "I guess the feeling isn't mutual, then. Be quiet, please: like you said this will take some precision."

Resisting the urge to blow his top, he sat back down. No way could he make it to the door before a bullet did, and without his device the only real option he had was to hope the mystery man knew enough not to blow this whole block sky-high. Or at least whoever was pulling his strings.

Either way, he seemed to reach a consensus a moment later, stepping back slightly (still out of arm's reach, of course). He squeezed his hand, and the blade began to glow red-hot. Without a moment's hesitation it was plunged straight into the bomb's shell. Whatever material it was made of might as well have been paper to the blade, and a crackling circle was promptly carved into its surface. Pulling the blade out carefully, he grabbed hold of the hole he'd made, set one foot on the Logia as a brace, and pulled. After a moment, the hunk of the artifact slid free, exposing an inside of unearthly electronics.

Eying what he had picked up, the agent nodded, looking satisfied. He turned back to Dwight. "Alright, I'm done with what I came here to do. You should get back to your team – this wasn't the only Logia in the city tonight."

"What!?" Dwight cried, but rather than elaborate his new acquaintance tapped his suit on the bladed wrist. A blue flash of light engulfed the mystery man, and naturally when it was gone he was too, leaving the lieutenant feeling pretty damn useless. _"Not like that's something new, or anything…" _he thought for a second, and punched the floor hard.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Angelo Corporation Penthouse – 2012 Hours**

"_So, what's the plan here, exactly?" _Alyssa asked. _"They happen to have any classes on fighting whatever-the-hell-this-is back at the old school, Lackland?" _The gargoyle took another quaking step forward.

Arturia didn't rise to it, but this was probably the only situation where she'd actually mind. _"Unfortunately no, Captain. If it is a Lost Logia, there is only one thing we can know for sure, and that is that we know nothing about it."_

"_Swell. Well, I think _I _have a plan."_

"_Oh? And what is-" _The knight's eyes widened as she blithely tossed out a small fireball at the statue. It sizzled out uselessly on its surface, and only really did one thing: make it turn toward the fire mage.

Alyssa quickly pointed to Quattro and Katie as the creature let out an angry growl. _"I'll lure it away. You get those two out of here."_

"_But-"_

"'_scuse me, who's the captain here?" _she interrupted, glaring. _"It's not like I'm going to fight it alone; I can get to the others way faster than you can."_

This made sense, of course – which was why the lieutenant was surprised to hear it coming from her. She opened her mouth to reply but Alyssa moved far quicker, stepping back out the window and falling into a dive. Roaring, the gargoyle pursued, unfurling its stone wings with a snap and gliding out, nearly bowling Arturia over as it did.

The knight watched as they faded into red and gray dots in the distance, and then turned back to the duty she had been assigned. Rather quickly, she couldn't help but note. _"A former criminal though she is, I doubt Alyssa would so sympathetic to him alone." _Her gaze shifted to the girl in the corner. _"But of course, he is _not_ alone tonight."_

"Um, I hate to whine," Quattro interjected, staring at her, "but I think one of my ribs might be broken. Two, perhaps."

Arturia stared at him a moment. "Somehow, I doubt both of those." She also doubted that she had really been given the easier task.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Rooftop – 2012 Hours**

"_Hey Anton, you doing alright?"_

Anton raised his head a little when his captain called, even if it wasn't physically. _"A-Alyssa? Yeah, your spell's working wonders. Are you sure you're best at combat?"_

She scoffed. _ "I'll put that down to delirium; can't stand kiss-asses. Don't worry, though, you'll be in the infirmary before you know it: just gotta take care of a little problem. Oh, actually you might want to put up a shield, or move, or something."_

He blinked, wondering for a moment if he had heard that wrong. _"Um, I can't really – SUGAR!"_

The reason for this was a bit graver than usual. One moment he heard the rush of wings on the air, and the sound of something dropping _very _quickly, the next an entire section of the roof he was on became a crater. Fragments of concrete flew everywhere, and unfortunately, everywhere included where he was lying. Fortunately, Akashic was a bit quicker on the draw than him now, and an emerald barrier appeared with just enough power to stop them.

Adjusting his glasses and sending a quick thanks to his device, Anton watched as the dust cleared, exposing a sharp, ugly-looking stake impaled in the stonework. Anton made to edge a bit closer, when he noticed the barrier was still up. A second later he saw why: the stone slowly disintegrated to become a strange gray mist. Where it touched the undamaged parts of the building, they shimmered, slowly coating over with marble-white.

"_Uh, Akashic…you should probably send that to Dr. Forrester."_

"_Already have, Young Master."_

He nodded. _"I should have known. Alyssa, are you still there?"_

"_Why the hell _wouldn't _I be?"_

Alright, good point. _"Well, uh – look, I think you should avoid what that thing is firing, okay?"_

"_Sooooo…" _she slowly replied, _"don't get hit by stuff? Yeah, that's some good advice, Anton."_

The tone of her voice made him flush. _"N-no, I mean that-"_

Alyssa cut him off. _"Look Anton, I appreciate the concern, but I've been doing this a _bit _longer than you have, okay? Just relax."_

"_B-but!" _the wind mage sputtered, but his captain ignored him. He leaned back, frowning. _"I'm here too…aren't I?"_

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Skies above the City – 2014 Hours**

"_Yeah, no way I'm letting that thing anywhere near you." _Alyssa thought airily as the monster roared behind her. Even some collateral damage could probably do the kid in right now, not to mention a lot of the city. She weaved aside another of the stakes and watched as it demolished a sedan down below. _"Definitely gonna need Jeanne for this; just have to hope there's not another of those War Armors around I guess." _She smirked. _"Then again, why would Quattro bother? For once his plans actually failed, how about that."_

That thought cheered her up a bit, despite the current situation. Tossing a fireball out behind her, Alyssa grinned at the roar of outrage that came a second later. _"Nice to have someone to fight you're not related to, heh heh."_

She plunged into a dive, heading closer to the street. In the mean-time, she could try and keep anything _too _important from getting smashed. "Come on, you dumb statue! I've seen better works of art than you on alley walls!" Of course, this assumed the thing even counted as a work of art, and could even understand her, but she'd never let things like that stand in the way of a good insult. Either way the thing followed, the wind from its wings rattling the windows on either side.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Angelo Corporation Penthouse – 2014 Hours**

"Ah, yes, thank you very much."

Arturia stepped backward as she finished sitting Quattro down in the plush chair near the bed, as gently as was absolutely necessary. They were in the adjoining bedroom from the office, most likely for when the CEO was working late. Even with this in mind, though, it still made her room back home look like a mere hovel. The girl now lay on a bed large enough to fit four people comfortably.

She put her hand on Frangir's pommel, giving him a cold stare. "Quattro Angelo. What did you have planned tonight?"

He gave her such a look of confusion that she almost believed he was a mere innocent bystander. Almost. "Why, retiring to my quarters and getting some work done, of course. Then perhaps taking an…" Quattro winced, shifting a little in the chair, "…early evening."

The stare became a glare, but there was nothing more Arturia could do on that front by herself. Or felt like doing at that. "And what of her?" she nodded to Katie. "I don't think she is one of your secretaries."

The man's gaze flickered a tad as he glanced toward the lightning mage, but it was back to neutrality in an instant. "Of course not; she's a client I was discussing things with when that…thing attacked. Very dull, really. Probably far less interesting than what your captain is doing at the moment."

"I will be the judge of that." Arturia replied coolly. "If you say you are not involved in this, then something of yours must be of interest to the culprit."

He nodded slowly. "Yes, it's understandable that you think that. But come now, Miss Lackland-"

"Lieutenant Lackland."

"If you insist." Quattro smiled pleasantly. "I am a businessman, Lieutenant. If I don't do something that makes _someone _wish I were dead in a day, then it's because it's been an off day. I could gladly prepare a list of them for you – but I wonder if Miss Triad really has that much time." He waved to the magic circle around the chair. "And I certainly won't be going anywhere, thanks to your timely aid."

They both stared at each-other for a moment afterward, him smiling politely, her glaring haughtily. It only ended when she forced her gaze away. "Very well. But listen carefully: this is not over."

He shrugged. "Few things ever are."

That comment made her leave even quicker. Quattro leaned back in the chair, getting comfortable. "For someone sworn to the Saint Kaiser, she's a rather boorish woman."

"Perhaps it's just religion in general, Mister Quattro." Katie said, sitting up. Suddenly she didn't look so hurt. "Just look how angry she got over something so small."

The CEO lowered his head and let out a nasty snicker. "Why yes, she _was_, wasn't she? But it was really nothing compared to how all of them would feel if they knew our new friend is completely under my control as we speak. Making Section Thirteen think they had to save my life…satisfaction like that is more than worth a few scrapes, wouldn't you agree my dear?"

"You're a genius, Mr. Quattro."

"For some reason, Katie, hearing that from you never loses its charm."

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Jeanne, Daniel and Otavi's location – 2016 Hours**

"Dammit, that smarts…"

Jeanne looked down at the digger and snorted. "Maybe it'll teach you not to dig everywhere you go. How was I supposed to know you'd pop up right in front of me?"

Daniel shrugged despondently. "Hey, try digging underground and see if you can see where everybody is. Especially making sure _she's _following you." He jabbed a finger to Otavi, who was waking behind them. She shook a bit of dirt out of her hair.

"Can't say I've ever tried, since I tend to walk around like a normal person." Jeanne said, taking another drag. "Then again, maybe _I'm _the weird one."

He grumbled. "Aw, shaddup…what's up."

His captain didn't reply, her brow furrowed in irritation. _"Alright, alright…will the two of you please SHUT UP!?" _She didn't notice both Daniel and Otavi cringing away before she continued more privately. _"Alyssa, Arturia, one of you start again. I don't really feel like flipping a coin."_

"_Okay, so – shut up Lackland, I'm the one who has it on my tail – that bomb we found? It was meant to power up what I'm being chased by right now: an ugly son-of-a statue. Looks pretty tough, but with all five of us together it shouldn't be a problem, right?"_

The term 'famous last words' came to mind at that, but Jeanne ignored it. _"Okay, thank you. How far away are you two?"_

There was a brief pause where Alyssa grunted slightly, and then replied, _"Uh, about…yeah, about two minutes. Maybe less if I speed up, but we're probably gonna want a barrier here."_

Jeanne nodded. _"Good thinking." _Uncommon thinking from her, too. Maybe the kid was rubbing off…probably wishful thinking. _"I'll handle that. You and Arturia better be ready to fight when you get here." _She motioned to Daniel and Otavi. "You two: there's going to be a big target heading this way in a minute or so. Have anything in mind?"

Daniel slowly grinned. "I think we can come up with something, right Otavi?"

The demure girl nodded, bowing slightly. "It will not be a problem."

"**Query: what task am I to perform, Captain Stromhold?"**

Without skipping a beat, Jeanne turned to look the gadget drone up and down. "About time you showed up, GD. Yeah, just…do what you think will be most useful, alright?"

"**Acknowledgement: very well, Captain. I will try to fulfill your expectations."**

"For the city's sake, I hope everyone does." Water Squad's captain swept her gaze around the other mages (and non-maze), and as it did all of them felt the urge to salute. "Let's get started, people."

They did.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Hidden Room underneath Rafflesia Industries – 2013 Hours**

"Ace…come on, Ace, this is _not _the time to be unconscious. Well, not that _any _time is, but come on!"

A feeling of relief came over him as the kid finally stirred, cracking open his eyes a moment later. "H…huh? Is that you Dwight? You okay?"

Despite the situation, the sniper couldn't help but laugh. Ace look like he'd been beat with the ugly stick and then run over with the ugly truck, and he was asking _him _if he was alright. "Yeah, I'm fine more or less. What about you?" He gave the fighter an arm, gingerly helping him to a sitting position.

Once there, he took a look around the room and evidently didn't like what he saw. "Oh – it happened again, didn't it…"

No prizes for guessing what 'it' was. And no sense in lying about what happened. "Yeah, it did. Whatever 'it' was."

Ace looked down at his feet. "I…"

He looked up as Dwight put a firm hand on his shoulder. "Whatever it was, it doesn't matter right now. If you're still good to go, then we still have some work to do."

The clone stared at the hand for a moment like it was something completely alien. For a moment the lieutenant thought he might lapse back into the trance. But whatever that had been it wasn't coming back anytime soon, and the real Ace smiled. "You're right. Yes, giving up now would make my training pointless."

"That's the spirit." replied Dwight. That was what you supposed to say in these situations, right? He'd never really read the book on them. "You good to run?"

Ace stood up. "Run? You mean go all the way back down that hallway?"

"Well…yeah." said the lieutenant, scratching his head a bit. "How else are we gonna get back?"

His new friend's answer wasn't a spoken one. Instead, Ace stepped (a bit shakily) to one side, staring at the ceiling intently.

Dwight opened his mouth to ask what was up, but Ace spoke first. "Could you step back a bit, Dwight? I'll need some room for this."

It was probably pretty dumb of him, but hell, he'd been underestimating the kid a little until now, and look what happened. He took a few wide steps back.

"Okay." The strike artist took another, closer look, then pulled his fists back, both of them brimming with thunder. Before Dwight could shoot a word of objection (and believe you me, there were a few) he unleashed the attack, blowing a hole in the ceiling. The terran hit the deck and cupped his hands over his head as plaster rained down, for all the good that would do.

After a moment of failing to be crushed, Dwight gingerly raised his head. The room was almost the same as when he'd leaped down, save for a load of debris on the ground around Ace, and a slightly bigger than human-sized hole in the ceiling. He rose woozily to his feet and walked over, feeling wind coming from the hole. When he looked up, his mouth gaped open – the hole reached straight up to the top of the street. "How did…"

"I don't think whoever built this room meant for it to be here for very long." Ace explained calmly. "I noticed this part of the ceiling seemed weaker than the rest. You know, before."

Dwight nodded. "Yeah."

"Anyway…" stepping closer to his superior, Ace extended a hand and seized hold of his arm, pulling him closer to the hole. "You'd better hold on now." He put an arm around the sniper's back. "Really."

He blinked. "Uh, what are you-"

Ace jumped.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Lost Logia Ambush Site – 2017 Hours**

Taking a long drag from her cigarette, Jeanne took a look at the preparations they'd made. They weren't masterful or expert, but in a couple minutes it was the best a squad like them could manage. Maybe it would work, but if not…hell, no-one had ever said they were Section Six. If they couldn't beat a fully charged Logia in a fight, then nobody high-up would really complain. _"…shit, what crawled up my ass today?"_

Anyway: Daniel had gone underground, of course, and set up some of his usual 'arrangements'. You wouldn't think earth magic could really hit someone in the air, but whoever had made those rules hadn't accounted for the pint-size archeologist, which was probably fine by him. Otavi was standing off to the side in an alleyway, bow at the tip of her violin. Occasionally part of a cord would sound from that direction. Her expression didn't betray it, but the girl was nervous. _"One thing we have in common, at least." _But she would play when she needed to, Jeanne knew that.

GD, meanwhile, didn't have any traps to lay, but that was only because the drone was a trap in himself. If the Logia had any bones to break, them winning would probably be a foregone conclusion, but he was still far better to have on their side than vice versa. She wondered if there'd ever been a Belkan with a mind like his…probably. And now the machine was lurking in the shadows somewhere, ready to see what the difference between old and new technology was.

And finally, there was she, herself and her. Checking Flashpoint's valves and gauges, Jeanne aimed the cannon down where Alyssa and her pursuer would be appearing in just a few moments. She didn't have any traps or tricks like the others, but shooting things? She could handle that juuuust fine. Water began building up at one of the hoses as the device shook.

"_YO!"_ Alyssa announced as she peeled around the skyscraper at the far end of the street. The gargoyle was hot on her heels, snapping furiously at the fire mage's boots. _"Hope you guys are ready; I think this thing is getting faster!"_

"_Had time to stretch after a few decades of napping?" _Jeanne replied sardonically, chomping on the end of her death-stick. _"Hope everyone's ready, because we don't have time for a rehearsal!" _Tightening her hold on Flashpoint, she cried out, **"Hydro – CANNON!"**

The captain's feet slid backward gradually as water poured out of the cannon in a great stream. The strength of water could sometimes be deceptive, but there was nothing shocking about this spell's power. It might not have been the equal of certain famous ones, but that wouldn't stop it from pulverizing Alyssa if she were a second too slow at evading.

Naturally of course, she wasn't. "Suck it down, ya lawn ornament!"

And 'suck it' the Logia did. Jeanne's attack stopped its forward movement almost instantly, leaving it struggling against the water pressure. It didn't fall, but the moment of weakness was all Daniel needed. **"Valley Spiker!" **a muffled voice called from underneath her feet. Thin sections of the road exploded out from around them, sending some spikes of their own up toward the gargoyle. Some hit it in the chest and sides, panging off as its hide proved to be quite durable indeed. That wasn't the digger's main target, though: most of the spikes were aimed toward its marble wings. While they held the same durability, there was less thickness to go around, and after a few hits one of the projectiles pierced straight through; the creature was suddenly struggling to stay airborne.

"Finally!" A second later Alyssa appeared right in front of it, already swinging Bowie in a vicious downward arc. With a crack, the gargoyle was sent careening into the road, cutting off its roar of indignation when it hit. She grinned. "Running got old before I even started."

Growling, the gargoyle rose out of the small crater it had made, slowly preparing to take to the air despite the damaged wing. It wasn't to be. From the cracks it had made and the holes Daniel had created, ugly thorn-laden vines snaked forth, quickly spreading over the statue. Not content to merely ensnare it, the plants also curled into the cracks made in its body, tangling the Logia inside and out. As Jeanne watched, they twisted further, making the construct shudder even as it was held in place.

She turned to look at Otavi, who was watching with her usual serene expression, now a tad unnerving. Sure they weren't up against something that was technically human, but she had still never seen the violinist use such a brutal attack before. Then again, they didn't usually end up fighting things from her era, did they now?

But now it was the turn of someone who didn't much care about that either way. Leaping out of wherever he'd been hiding, GD raced up to the gargoyle, pulling back one claw as he did. Jeanne felt the familiar tingle of the AMF pass over her momentarily, before he plunged it straight into the statue's chest up to the wrist. It was a well calculated blow, of course, avoiding Otavi's vines and breaking through one of the cracks Daniel had made. The monstrous work of art tensed up, then drooped and went limp.

Being no fool, GD retracted his hand and did a few quick back-flips, just in case their foe was playing possum. Jeanne adjusted her grip on Flashpoint and sucked down more smoke, spending a tense few moments watching the enemy. Their caution paid off; the statue suddenly twitched, then reared up and roared out.

Jeanne was quick to react. _"Otavi, GD, by me! Daniel, go deeper! Alyssa-"_

"_Got it." _

The roar echoed out as the gargoyle rose further, releasing a blinding white glow around itself. As she shielded her eyes, Jeanne heard Otavi let out a cry of pain from behind. She didn't have to wait long to see why: with a few nasty cracks, the once thick vines fell to the ground, now lifeless and gray. Some even crumbled to dust entirely. Even the ground around it was affected. As this all happened, the wounds Section Thirteen had given it quickly mended.

The creature wasn't content to wait for them to process what had just happened, rising up on its heels to spit a flurry of the stake from before upward at Alyssa.

After checking on Otavi briefly – the girl was swaying, but Daniel had quickly resurfaced to steady her – Jeanne prepared Flashpoint for another shot, glancing upward as she did. She gaped: whatever went through the other squad captain's head was often beyond her, but she was pretty sure even Alyssa wouldn't fly _toward _the thing in this situation. Or had been, anyway.

"_Triad, what the HELL are-"_

"_I saw how to take it out for good!" _Alyssa cried back, ducking and weaving in-between the stakes. _"Just before it healed, its eyes flashed for a sec! The weak point's gotta be in there! That's why it's firing at me, because I noticed!"_

Jeanne spat out her cigarette, aiming the hose upward. _"And you didn't think to, uh, actually _say _something about it!? That thing can-"_

"_I know what I'm doing, okay? Will you all just-"_

Alyssa's forward movement was halted in one bloody moment as one stone spear moved just a tad too fast, or she moved just a tad too slow. Either way, the end result was the same: one of the missiles broke through her barrier jacket, impaling her straight in the right shoulder. Red blossomed there that had nothing to do with the outfit's color.

Ignoring it, the fiery woman quickly switched Bowie to her other hand, drawing the device back as it ignited. "Too bad it doesn't matter, you stone creep! **CRIMSON STORM!**"

The gargoyle's expression _couldn't _change of course, but somehow it gave off the impression it wouldn't now anyway as it stared at the oncoming column of flame. Its eyes flashed, more openly now that its secret was out.

In just a moment, Alyssa's expression of triumph was replaced with fear, as one of her strongest spells was petrified all but instantly. The almost mocking sculpture the fire had become hung in the air a moment, then crumbled to pieces on the concrete.

With its path clear, the statue made to spread its wings and go after the wounded girl once more. It grunted as a shorter burst courtesy of Jeanne smashed it in the face, halting it a moment even if the damage was repaired in the very same. At the very least it didn't seem good at keeping track of multiple targets; thank goodness for small favors. Quickly she motioned for the other captain to get behind her. Ordinarily Alyssa would have only done so reluctantly, but the expression on her face said that wasn't so now.

Reforming the barrier around their numbers, Jeanne cast a glance backward at her as she landed. As bad as the wound had looked going in, it was worse closer up. The fire mage's jacket had protected her to some extent, but a section of her flesh was now sheer stone. Moving it seriously had to be out of the question now. Even Alyssa couldn't ignore that…entirely. "Alright, just hurry up and heal me, and I'll-"

The key in situations like this was to put yourself in the other person's shoes. _You _wouldn't want a fresh cigarette in your eye, now would you? "Yeah, funny thing, I never learned how to treat getting turned to stone. Live and learn, huh?" She squeezed off another shot, this time aiming for one of the gargoyle's legs as it charged the barrier of water. It stumbled, and found itself pulled partway into the street. Jeanne nodded her thanks to Daniel, pickaxe still vibrating in the ground.

"_Flashpoint, looks like it's the hard way now,"_ she said to her own partner, _"you wouldn't happen to have noticed a weak point in this thing?" _

"_Unknown as of yet, sir. Logia's frame appears to resist any scanning attempts, possibly due to its regenerative factor. No hard data yet exists to back up Captain Triad's claim."_

Captain Stromhold pursed her lips. It wasn't smart, but it was tough, and wouldn't just buzz off like everyone else they'd fought tonight. And more importantly, there was no way it was made to feel the exhaustion they all were at the moment. If they couldn't finish it off quick, it would just pick them off one by one.

Case in point – giving up on trying to free itself quickly, the artifact looked up, glaring as its eyes took on their basilisk's glow once more. It was probably too much to hope water was more resistant to that than fire, wasn't it?

Before she could make some necessary maneuvers (and probably get another chunk taken out of her doing so) however, a certain black, steel hand on a wire flew out to almost slap the creature across its face. The light went astray, hardening a street-lamp some yards away. Jeanne and the gargoyle both glanced over at GD, who had apparently moved to flank the latter at _some_ point. His AMF defenses probably offered even less protection than their own, but he rarely relied on it anyway. And you could always trust he knew more or less what he was doing, unlike-

She put out a hand to stop Alyssa coming forward. "Don't. You really think you can help him with your arm like that?"

Eyes blazing, the other mage smacked the hand away – with her own wounded one. She winced.

"_**Statement: Captain Stromhold is correct, Captain Triad. You have fought enough tonight. Provided none of us panic, this enemy is not unbeatable."**_

"_But with Ace and Dwight gone and Anton-"_

"_**Repetition: provided none of us panic, Captain."**_

His tone silenced her.

But now the creature had broken its leg free of the road, and was putting it to good use charging right at the robot. He didn't move, holding his ground until it was close enough to gore him with its horns. And then still didn't move. That turned out to be quite unnecessary.

For once, Arturia said nothing toward GD, attention fully locked on the beast in front of her – and the sword now extending from its head, still shaking from the dive she had just executed. Even this failed to stun it for more than a moment, however, and it laid two crushingly strong hands upon Frangir, trying to wrest the blade out of itself. The knightess held on gamely, but now instead of forcing her device inward she was grappling to keep it in place.

She didn't have to say a word or look in his direction before the gadget drone moved, vaulting onto her shoulders with lightning speed. With as close as they were, hopping across was a simple matter, and for the second time that night GD found himself grappling something twice his size.

Not for terribly long, however. Almost before he even touched the marble surface, the sergeant reached down, grasped hold of one of the artifact's horns with both hands, and pulled.

Doing that an ordinary limb would probably be grounds for a brutality hearing, but in this case the ornamental bone held out for almost five seconds before it snapped off halfway down. GD hopped off immediately after, a wise decision, as the gargoyle went wild. Flailing wildly, it clutched at the wound and let out an ear-piercing roar. Arturia was almost sent flying from its chaotic movements, but held on grimly as Frangir began to shine brightly. **"Lucidus-" **the armed device said with noticeable satisfaction. Mages and knights weren't the only ones who romanticized about olden times.

The lieutenant gave her own smile, which was as dignified as it was fleeting, replaced by the calm gaze of a Saint Knight. **"Gladius!" **

Without even a short distance to travel before it reached her foe, the blade of light soared forth, almost seeming to break it in two before it was carried clear across the road in the corona of light, smashing into a small shop at the other end.

Lowering her weapon, Arturia let out a heavy sigh, briefly looking at the destruction her spell had caused, before something disturbing caught her eye instead. "What in the Kaiser's name?"

It was ordinary for devices, like any other weapon, to become chipped and lose their shine with extended use. But even a hundred battles would not do something like _this_: where the clawed hands had touched it, the silver shine of Frangir's had become dulled and gray. Arturia ran a cautious finger down its length, frowning at the rocky surface she felt. "Frangir, are you alright?"

The sword spoke, but haltingly and full of static, as though from far away. _"S…ic." _

While this was going on, Jeanne was staring at the cloud of smoke with deep suspicion. Carefully she aimed Flashpoint and fired a glob of water into the wrecked building. A moment later it came flying back to shatter on the ground at her feet. _"Not dead, then. What a surprise." _she sniffed. _"Arturia, you still good to fight?"_

"_I believe so," _she called back, although sounding unsure, _"but not up close. The powers it has seem to be able to come from its hands, as well."_

"_Terrific." _Jeanne said, shaking her head. It wouldn't really affect anyone else present at the moment, but one thing they didn't need was more wrinkles. _"Well, look alive – our break just ended."_

Out of the vanishing dust came the gargoyle, still smoking from Arturia's spell. Its wounds were mending before their eyes, particularly where she had first stabbed it to begin with. For just a moment the Riot Force members glimpsed an ugly red beneath its eyes, and then they were whole again.

Behind her, Alyssa nodded ferociously. _"There, see, what did I tell-"_

"_Shut up and stay down." _she called over her shoulder (in a sense), preparing another shot from Flashpoint. If it healed that fast, they'd just have to burn through again and smash the jewel or whatever it was. It might not end up being the power source at all, but it was better than trying to dismantle the whole thing. And she certainly didn't mean burn metaphorically, oh no. Jeanne reached for the valve that controlled her device's heat settings.

She'd expected the gargoyle, when it charged again, to go straight for Arturia. The knight had overshadowed her, that was for certain, not to mention hurting it more than anyone else so far. But whatever passed for the thing's brain decided that no, she was still the bigger fish here. How flattering.

It came quickly, propelling itself forward with a quick wing-flap. That took it into the air, and if there was one way for this thing to be more dangerous, falling on you was sure a good pick. What did it weigh, a ton? Maybe two?

Water wouldn't stop that momentum, and she had a certain load to worry about at the moment. But water wasn't the only thing she had available. She turned the valve quickly – in the opposite direction.

That turned out to unnecessary, fortunately; Jeanne would prefer to avoid showing her hand if it wasn't necessary, even against this kind of foe. There came a _thwip! _noise from over her shoulder, and the flight of something rustled her cheek before it buried itself straight into the logia's eye: a brown lump she first mistook for some kind of arrow. But no – it was a large, ugly seed.

Not stopping to wonder who had sent it, even if she already knew the answer, Captain Stromhold dove to the left, dragging Alyssa with her as she did. The statue hit the ground where she had stood, clutching at its stricken organ. The one responsible was naturally, Otavi, standing next to a flat, pointed bud on a long stalk. It slid back into the ground, almost snake-like.

Nodding her thanks again to the musician, Jeanne re-aimed Flashpoint, not bothering with the heat settings this time. She squeezed the cannon's trigger twice, and a pair of rock-hard bubbles sent the thing reeling. It rose back up, glaring with its one good eye – then tensed, and dove aside just fast enough to avoid a massive a jagged spike that shot up from the asphalt—

"Gotcha!" –and run right into a certain pint-sized digger, who exploded out from the road, pick-axe in one hand, a vibrating stake in the other. Gripping the former with what muscle he had, he swung the point down at between its eyes.

Letting out a roar that practically drove the sho – _height-challenged _mage straight back, the gargoyle snatched Lithic's blade out of the air with both hands, practically giving Daniel whiplash in the process. It growled into his face, preparing to make it dirtier than a thousand excursions underground could. Over the whistle of air rushing past his face, he forced out, **"Rumble Pick!" **

With a quick jolt, the device began to vibrate rapidly, sliding back and forth in the small space between the monster's claws. With that short a distance, its movement became quick and momentum-filled enough to jar it free from the grip. As the statue fell back, Daniel drove the stake forward – straight toward its right arm. Not prepared for that, it couldn't help but watch as the pointed end pierced straight into the white shoulder, sliding in to about half of its length.

Of course, this would be a waste if that was all he intended to do. Always go for broke, push the envelope; that was how the big names got famous. And it worked more often than it didn't in battle, too: the ugly bastard swiped at him as he touched the ground and leaped back up, but if there was anyone better at getting out of tight squeezes on this team, he'd like to meet them. The still shaking tool struck the stake in a downward hit, making a loud crack

Three sounds happened afterward. The localized blast of the stake detonating, driven further into the logia's body just before; a disturbing mix between stone breaking and bone; and finally a roar of pure pain, worse than anything else the thing had uttered so far. Landing again and hopping backward quick (it was important not to push it _too _far, after all), he watched the shards of its arm clatter to the ground, big and small. The stump that was left offered them all a closer look into the inner body, and it wasn't pretty – the blood-red inner rock pulsed like an irritated vein.

It was a grave wound, but it now resulted in two things: the gargoyle becoming very, very angry, and focusing all of its attention onto Daniel. Neither of these were particularly desirable things, but _together_…they were really horrible. With no chance to get back underground as the thing charged forward – reminding him, or at least his upper thigh, of a certain encounter with a Flame Hippo on Easter – he scrambled backward like a beetle about to get stomped on. "H-hey, come on, Arturia shot you right in the head, all I did was your arm!"

It stomped down, rattling the ground enough to knock him right over. The monster reared up above him, eyes blood-shot as it snarled, before drawing its head back. A bubble and arrow of light hit it from behind, but weren't enough to make it stumble. The white glow appeared in its mouth now, and two guesses where it would go. "Aw, dammit…!"

A series of rapid footsteps came from behind, approaching quickly before they leaped. For a second Daniel thought it was GD, but he probably wouldn't thud on the ground if he could help it, would he?

Either way, before the gargoyle could unleash its petrification, a crackling fist sent its head reeling the other way, even breaking off two of the ornamental teeth. It was still on its feet, however…until another cracking blow to the stomach dropped it fully, at least for the moment.

"Are you alright, Mr. Trail?" Ace asked, pulling Daniel back up in a quick tug, and saluting to both Captains (the archeologist, meanwhile, grumbled about how he hadn't needed help _that _much). "I'm not too late, am I? I came as fast as I could."

Alyssa spoke first, interrupting Jeanne. "What, by _running_?"

He nodded. "That's right. Me and—" spinning, the strike artist gave the statue a roundhouse kick before it could get back up completely, "—Dwight."

"_No, hah…_you _ran. I kinda got, hah, dragged."_

"_I was wondering where the hell you were, Dwight." _Jeanne said, looking around. _"What's your position?"_

One important thing to note in the next moment, as a rifle shot went straight over her head from behind by about one inch, was that Jeanne did not jump. At all. That would just be silly for her, wouldn't it? _"Right here." _the sniper said cheerily.

He watched as the bullet hit home, a clean shot straight in the gargoyle's kneecap. Even as the stone began to quickly mend (a feather in their caps; it knew they were all a threat now), it teetered dangerously on the wounded limb. Eying the wound carefully, Dwight prepared for another shot, but he'd been spotted. The _Notre Dame _reject covered itself with a slew of shots directed at his rooftop. None of them hit as he rolled to the side, but firing another was out of the question – for now. _"We heard the gist of things on the way. If you distract it, I can nail the head with one shot."_

Jeanne nodded slowly. _"Alright then; everyone, get the thing's attention however you can. Shouldn't be too difficult, right?"_

"_And don't worry," _Alyssa said, getting up and favoring her injured side, _"Dwight _has _to make this shot: it's the only way he's getting out of a Stromhold chew-out, right?" _She grinned.

The other captain scowled, but didn't shove her back down.

The first person to attack, unsurprisingly, was Arturia, charging in from the right with Frangir back in his sword mode. So long as she was careful, it would be fine, especially with others attacking alongside her. Although of course, striking from the back did not feel right for her in any case. Meanwhile, Ace charged forward from his position, ready to counter the creature's stone fists with his own.

Indecision must have been unfamiliar for a being like this, but it showed on its stone face well enough. As Arturia made a stab toward its stone neck it retreated back a step, bringing up the still-reforming arm to block. As the blade pierced there, it yanked hard, trying to separate the two. Despite the wounds they had given it, the logia was still quite strong; she nearly stumbled at the pull.

But she would not have attacked if she were doing so alone. Before the creature could attack with the remaining hand, it flinched as Ace struck it in the sternum (or at least whatever counted for it in this case). The young man brought his fist back a second time, but it lashed out quick, smashing down on his shoulder with its unbroken claw. Ace's knees shook as the attack bent him nearly double. It was only then that Arturia, close as she was, noticed the sweat running down his forehead, and the fatigue present in his eyes. The corporal was far more tired than he let on.

"I'm fine." he grunted, noticing that she had. "It would be worse if you got hurt than me, right?" He narrowed his eyes, and tensed up, even as the gargoyle hit him again. "So this doesn't – MATTER!"

With both hands, he ducked, and seized hold of the enemy's entire arm. The vicious tug he gave was enough to drag even it forward, right into Ace's knee as he drove it up in a crushing strike. The stone on its chest cracked, and only worsened when two more rock-hard punches were added alongside. A moment later, a large gash was created alongside it courtesy of Arturia's blade, stretching near the injured leg.

A clicking noise and an ominous hiss came from behind the two, and the Lieutenant dove to her left, tackling Ace over as she did so. Over their heads roared twin blasts of fire and water, heating up and cooling off the logia's armor in almost the same instant. It let out a groan which was only matched by the sound of the stone slowly but surely losing its integrity. Some of the petrification magic was fired in response, but there was no way it could stop the entire barrage.

Gradually it was forced backward, against the front wall of a small business. Only when it crunched into the wall did the attacks cease.

At least, _those _attacks. Thudding out from the wall came four spikes, pinning the gargoyle's limbs there like a preserved specimen. It roared, flapping its great wings, but it was caught – for the moment, at least.

The spikes flinched forward, slamming its head back up against the wall, where something else was sprouting: another vine, but this time with a bud that seemed too razor-sharp to be anything organic. As it approached the back of the logia's skull, it began to spin…

"_Holy crap, what did this thing _do _to Otavi? Burn her house down?" _Alyssa thought over the hideous sound that came afterward. It was all Daniel could do to keep the creature still as it thrashed. With surgeon-like precision, the plant slowly drilled through the stone, until it was embedded firmly inside. Then with a vicious rip, it tore free, sending shards of the head scattering everywhere. Otavi watched calmly, her hands white where they gripped her instrument.

With that, the supposed core was revealed; an angry red jewel, spiked at the edges and nestled in a hollow cavity. Just as quick as they glimpsed it, however, the stone began to grow back.

"_Dwight, if you miss this shot-"_

"_No need to talk about things that aren't gonna happen, Jeanne." _Dwight said with icy calm, looking down the path of his shot. This one was a bit larger than normal; Gates began to shake up and down slightly, harming the odds – for a novice, anyway. But Mrs. Jacobs didn't raise novices.

His device beeped. _"Target locked, sir."_

He nodded. "Should have stayed in the ground, big guy."

But just before he could squeeze the trigger, the gargoyle, as if hearing the taunt, let out a roar of pure defiance. Raising its head, it fired a slew of the stakes at the rooftop, directly at Dwight's position. Grimly, he made to fire anyway.

"DWIGHT!" Jeanne cried up as the missiles hit too fast for anyone to deflect them, kicking up a cloud of dust. Hopefully the ordinary kind.

A moment of silence came, long enough for the logia to let out a roar of victory—

That was silenced as a bullet of energy shot out, passing through the distance perfectly and only stopping once it had pierced the ugly jewel.

In fact, all noise from the monster ceased instantaneously, like a computer having its cord plugged. Quite accurate, actually. As the squad watched, the jewel shattered without fanfare, and the statue it powered toppled. Slowly, from head to toe, it began to melt away into dust. Afterward, wind picked up, and a moment later it might as well not have been there at all.

A second later, Daniel voiced the thoughts of probably everyone nearby. "Frickin' _finally_."

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Angelo Corporation Penthouse – 2032 Hours**

"…hm. Would it be a bit facetious to ask how that saying about not making them like they used to got started in the first place, Katie?"

It was important when the boss was talking like this and asking questions like that to think carefully about what you said. Even if he didn't sound it, Quattro was upset, and she'd be a poor employee indeed if she made that worse, hm? "I wouldn't say so at all, Mister Quattro. If a designer can't live up to your expectations, then whatever the era, that's their own fault."

The CEO nodded slowly. "Yes, that's about what I thought, as well." Calmly, he shut off the connection - then, just as calmly, slammed his hand down on the desk, splintering the wood. "_Exactly _what I thought."

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Rooftop – 2032 Hours**

"_Hey, Ant-"_

"_Alyssa!" _Anton cried over her, lifting his head even if she wasn't anywhere around. _"Are you alright? What happened!? Did-"_

His captain cut him off by, somehow, clapping through the link. _"Okay, just calm down. I get that it's only your second mission, but chill."_

The rookie blinked. _"Ch-chill!? What the he-" _A sudden wave of dizziness overcame him, part from the asthma, part everything he'd gone through, and he fell backward. _"I was worried…"_ he murmured.

"_Heh. Thanks." _Alyssa replied, sounding a bit more amused than happy. _"But I'm, ugh, _mostly _okay. How about you?"_

"_I'm…" _The dizziness wasn't going away. _"Feeling sleepy…"_

She snickered. _"Nobody's stopping you, man. Like my old man always said: 'Going to bed where ya like is one thing that's always free'."_

He was tired enough to laugh back at something like that. _"Ha ha…yeah, that's…true…"_

His eyes slowly drifted shut, and for Anton Langlsey, the night was over.

_To be continued…_

_The next day, Section Thirteen takes a well deserved respite from any serious incidents, allowing the members to cool off the way they usually do. How do they do this? And for that matter, whatever happened to the person Dwight encountered, and the group they're working for? Come and see in Day Off._


	10. Day Off

**Section Thirteen**

**Chapter Nine: Day Off**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Infirmary – 1000 Hours**

Anton awoke to an odd sensation, or more specifically, the absence of it. It may have only been an hour or so, but when you got right down to it he really wasn't used to feeling pain. For it to just vanish after feeling so much was strange. Blinking in the bright light above, he was bemused for a moment.

"You know, usually the sleeping one in the stories is a girl." called a calm voice from off to the side.

Still a bit asleep, he looked there to see Dr. Marion half-looking back, half-reading a novel in one hand. The other held a clipboard, which she consulted with a clinical eye. "Well, either way, it's nice to see you back with the living. Probably for the best you woke up now, too; Alyssa was talking about drawing on your face if you didn't get up soon."

"That…sounds a lot like her."

Marion nodded. "Odd, though: I don't recall her ever threatening to do something like that when the others were injured."

Anton blinked. "What do you-"

"Oh, nothing." She set the clipboard down on her desk. "I patched up your shoulder – nothing serious there once the shock wore off – but I'd strongly advise you not to exert your linker core like that for at least a week or two. That's why you were out for so long."

The young man nodded slowly. "Right. That kind of thing probably isn't for C-Rankers…"

She gave him a raised eyebrow over the book's cover. "You save someone's life by yourself, and then you start feeling sorry afterward?" The Doctor waved a hand toward the door. "Well, I don't think either of us is in the mood for psychology. You're free to go."

Anton nodded. "Alright." He got up, carrying his shoulder gingerly (even if it didn't matter) as he rose. Akashic was on the bed side table, and he picked her up on the way. "Thank you, Doctor."

"Don't need 'em. It's what I'm here for, right."

He smiled as he left. Sensing it was fine now, Akashic spoke up. _"Young Master, are you well?"_

"Yeah, thanks to Doctor Marion. What about you, Akashic?"

"_All of my systems function normally."_

Her owner let out a sigh of relief. "That's good. So, did anything come-"

His stomach rumbled.

Following a brief pause, Akashic spoke seriously. _"Young Master, report to cafeteria immediately."_

"B-but-"

"_Immediately."_

"Alright…"

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Cafeteria – 1003 Hours**

Any army ran on its stomach, and although the Bureau was a different one than usual the saying still ran true. Every one of the new sections' lunch rooms were modeled after the original one in Section Six's headquarters – large, well-staffed, and fit to serve all of the building's inhabitants both thoroughly and well. This wasn't the first time Anton had entered it, but he still had to be impressed with it. As he moved through the line of late-comers, he noticed most of Fire Squad sitting at a table near the window. He walked over.

"Hey, if it isn't my knight in shining armor." Alyssa said with a grin, reaching across the table to pat him on the back as he sat down. "Or maybe princess, with how long you were asleep." Her grin widened as his blush did.

Ace looked up from the pile of food he was working on, and nodded. "That's true; you almost slept as long as Alyssa usually does." He paused. "Actually, for some reason she only got up a few hours after I did. I'm not sure why-"

"W-well, who the hell cares when we all woke up, anyway?" the red-head said hurriedly. "Not like it matters; today's a day off."

"Oh. I didn't notice."

"**Statement: it is largely irrelevant to my plans as well. This day was not scheduled previously, so I surmise it is to allow both squads a rest period." **GD wasn't eating, and in fact wasn't looking at any one of them when he said this. Instead an open window nearby held his attention. It displayed that day's newspaper. **"Addition: for now, research and investigation will have to be done as to the exact nature of the Logia we encountered, where it originated from, and whether it can be linked back to Quattro Angelo. The latter of these seems unlikely, since it is now dust, but the Major intends to try."**

Anton speared a bit of lettuce and munched on it, swallowing it before he spoke. "What does it say about last night?"

The robot scrolled through it briefly. **"Highlight: several interest groups have somewhat objected to Section Thirteen's destruction of the artifact. Rafflesia Industries is currently meeting with authorities over what the Corporal and Lieutenant uncovered there. Lastly, some citizens are of the opinion that Captain Triad spoiled their evening."**

"Screw 'em."

"**Conclusion: as to our battle, however, there has been very little reporting, most likely due to many people being shifted out by the barrier."**

Pausing with another morsel halfway to his mouth, Anton looked around the cafeteria. "So, where's Arturia? Off practicing-"

The door to the room opened with an ominous slam. "Alyssa Triad!"

He watched as his captain stared up at the ceiling, rolling her eyes. "What, am I a demon or something now?"

Striding up to the table with eyes full of anger, Arturia stopped to give Anton a quick bow. "Secretary, I am pleased to see you are well after last night."

Before he could utter a word of reply, she whirled on her (supposed) superior. "I would have words with you. Now."

"About what?" Alyssa said, leaning back and chewing. "Or just, y'know, words in general?"

Arturia stared. "I am not in the mood for your humor, Captain."

Anton looked between the two of them, beginning to regret where he'd chosen to sit down. But it wasn't like he could move now, could he? He sat further down, feeling the plastic of the chair in his back.

"Tell me," the knightess began, "why did you keep quiet about your siblings being in the city last night?"

With a clatter, Alyssa rose to her feet. "Where the hell did you hear that!?"

The lieutenant stared straight ahead despite the difference in height between the two. "From the Major. It took some convincing, however; no doubt because of you."

"Yeah, funny thing about my business: I usually try to keep it that way." came the reply, like a volcano about to erupt. "So why exactly do you think it's yours?"

But Arturia was not one to be cowed by something like this. She spoke back with that same tone, expression the picture of outrage. "_Why_?" A hand was waved at Anton and the fire mage. "You very nearly lose your life, and that of someone else fighting a selfish battle, and you ask what concern it is of mine? Are you that ignorant?"

The volcano began to bubble. "And what _wouldn't_ have been selfish exactly, Miss Knight? I'll tell you right now: Glenn would have went through you like a paper bag."

"And you were so much better last night?"

I

Anton looked between the two, feeling like someone who'd blundered into a mine-field. "Uh-" Before the second word had passed through his lips, Ace motioned wildly, shaking his head. _"You…probably don't want to do that, Anton. It's not a fight anyone can win."_

"_I didn't think they disliked each-other _this _much. How long do they usually go on for?" _He wasn't really used to seeing arguments like this, the Langsleys far more preferring the opposite way of dealing with disputes. He'd been to more than a few holiday dinners where almost half the table wasn't talking to at least one other person there. It was much more civilized that way.

Ace thought about as he gulped down a hunk of chicken. _"Hard to say. Either until their tempers wear off, or until Captain Stromhold loses hers. But she's out at the moment, I think, so we could be here a while. Right, GD?"_

The gadget drone had actually been silent ever since Arturia stepped into the room, still looking intently at his newspaper. Furrowing his eyebrows, he reached over, tapping him with one hand. It went straight through, and the image fizzled out.

"…" Anton stared. _"B-but, how did-"_

"_Impressive. That's why he's the Sergeant, you know."_

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen CO Office – 1006 Hours**

"You know, I'm pretty much the farthest thing from a doctor, but I probably wouldn't pick at that if I were you."

Dwight lowered his hand, grumbling. "Tell it to stop itching, then." The sniper wasn't talking about any wound – the hit that guy had given him would do a lot more than itch the morning after – but the treatment Marion had given him for his head injury. At least it didn't smell. "What'd you call me here for, Major? Is it about my report?"

Destin nodded slowly. "Bulls-eye, Dwight. But it's not about the Logia." He typed into his keyboard, opening a file on his desk's computer. "I sent that description of your buddy over to HQ, and it matched up with exactly who I thought it would. So in other words, the worst case scenario."

"That bad, eh?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Here, take a look." He turned the monitor to let Dwight take a look.

As he did so, the lieutenant's expression darkened. If there were any doubts about whether his acquaintance was a big name or not, this article shot, detonated, and then burned them just to be sure.

Sniping. Bombings. Up-close attacks with countless methods and weapons; stabbing and strangulation seemed to be favorites. The incidents stretched off below the monitor, and he scrolled down with grim fascination. They were listed out over years, ranging from as frequent as several a month to one after two seasons of hiding. One thing was constant, though: every single one of those murdered were connected to the Bureau in some way.

Sitting back, Dwight let out a whistle. "Who the hell is this guy?"

"Might not even be a guy," Destin said, shrugging, "PC era and all. Might not even be _human _with what we have to go on. I'm surprised we even have a description to go on. Almost everyone who's seen him up close is six feet under right now."

"But not me, and I'm a Bureau agent. Probably because I wasn't on the list, if I had to guess."

The Major nodded. "Figured you'd notice that. We have a few theories on what the deal there is, actually. One, that they have a grudge against the Bureau."

Dwight frowned. "Doesn't exactly narrow it down."

"Neither does number two: that they're working for someone with a grudge. And then there's the third one…" He paused, pursing his lips and drumming on the wood for a moment. At last he sighed. "That they're working for someone _in _the Bureau."

The frown deepened.

Destin offered another hapless shrug. "Those investigations that started a few years ago got some results: raids, arrests – even if it wasn't really clear what we were arresting them _for _– and interrogations. But as much as we cleaned up under the rug, there's still a lot of dirt under there." He pointed to one part of the article. "See there? There was a sudden spike of attacks right when they began. If you ask me, number three's the right answer."

"So what you're saying is," the terran murmured, folding his arms, "a person famous for killing Bureau members is now in our neck of the woods. Along with, maybe, the person pulling their strings."

"About the long and short of it, yeah."

Dwight went back to scratching his head; the itching had gotten worse. "You know, we have a saying on Earth about the number thirteen, and it seems kind of appropriate here now…when are you gonna tell everyone?"

For a moment his CO tried his best to look everywhere but at him. "Honestly? I'm not sure. We have less than nothing to go on here, and news like this could do more harm than good with some of the officers. Looking for evidence your own team is attacking you leads to jumping at shadows sooner or later. And you're the coolest head here that isn't made of metal."

"I appreciate that, sir," Dwight replied, "but are we just going to sit on our hands, then? These guys have part of that bomb; even a fraction of it could level a block if they got it working."

Destin reached up and toyed with his sunglasses a bit. "That's definitely something to be worried about. Whoever this group is, they'll definitely try to use it against us sooner or later." Swiveling the leather chair around, he gestured out the window. "But look out there. Whatever these kinds of people are – and they're a _lot_ – I doubt they're in it to knock those buildings down."

Absent-mindedly, he turned the monitor back around. "I'll make some more inquiries, maybe see if I can request a scan of the whole planet. They have to be hiding somewhere, right? Why don't you go see what you can dig up on Quattro? Those guys from last night are still down in the lock-up."

The sniper's hands squeezed tight as a long second or so passed, and then he sighed. "Okay, I'll get right on that. Forgot my job for a second, I guess. Sorry sir." Getting up, he made to leave. He stopped halfway, looking back. "So, what's with the name of that article? A little on the nose there, isn't it?"

Destin blinked, then looked back to the computer. "Oh, _that_. Just a little nickname HQ gave him, for convenience's sake. Probably gets an F for imagination, but what else are we supposed to call the guy, really, right?"

"Well, now I have a name that's not 'hey, you', or something way worse. Next time we meet I'm not going to just roll over, list or no list."

His boss tactfully didn't mention that quite a few of those names had probably said something like that, too, and saw him off with a wave. Leaning back in the chair, the Major stretched for maybe a bit too long, and then finally turned toward other work. But no matter how he directed his attention, his eyes were drawn to the name of the article, and even after being closed it rose up in his mind, like an omen:

**RED SHOULDER**

Not long afterward Anton entered, a stack of papers in his hands, and Destin pointedly didn't look up as they were placed on the desk before him. Anton stood there a minute, staring, before making for the door.

Major Destin spoke without looking up. "If you want to ask me why I told Arturia, then go right ahead. I'm not gonna bite your head off."

Anton turned back around, wondering whether or not to ask how he'd known. _"…then again, with me is it really _that _impressive?"_

He cleared his throat carefully. "I was actually, sir. It seems like it, um-"

"Caused a complete cluster…argument?" Destin finished lamely. "Yeah it did. But that would have happened anyway, honestly. And look at it this way: imagine if she, and everyone else, had found out a lot later. Maybe after you didn't just 'almost' yourself killed out there. What do you think would happen then?" He watched Anton stiffen up at the thought. "Maybe – definitely I'll get chewed out for it today, but if it helps someone out, then I'm fine with it."

The rookie practically bowed to him. "I-I'm sorry, Major! I wasn't thinking at all about that."

Destin stared at the back of his head. The kid could have used a bit of a trim there if you asked him, but he didn't say anything. "…could that apology come in the form of a coffee?"

That made Anton bow a little more.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Local Police Station – 1020 Hours**

Right as Dwight opened the fortified door to the building, he could tell coming down here wasn't going to make his day much better. Then again, it wasn't like that was in much doubt before.

At the front desk, almost talking loud enough to be heard from the cell, was a short, bespectacled fellow in a drab-looking suit. The subject (or if you preferred, victim) was speaking to an older, grizzled looking man dressed in the Sergeant's variety of the usual Midchildan police uniform. Going by the expression on his face, he was wishing a smaller problem had walked into the door, like an armed gunman.

"-I'm really not sure exactly what you think I'll say to them," the former was saying as Dwight walked up, "it's not like I can magic them out of these charges, can I?"

"Not in the conventional sense, no." the older man said, looking wearily up at the ceiling fan. "But I wouldn't be surprised." He looked over the suit's shoulder and smiled. "You can get your wish now though: morning, officer."

The pencil-pusher whirled around quick, looked at Dwight, and then sniffed to hide his relief. "Ah, Lieutenant. I was wondering when someone from Section Thirteen would come down to see the men they arrested."

Whatever he said, it was important not to give him any ammunition. "With everything that happened last night, it sort of fell by the way-side, sorry. And it's only fair to let them rest before an interrogation, right?"

"Quite." the smaller man said, frowning. "Regarding that, as you may have heard, Sergeant Taurus seems rather reluctant to let me see them without one of you being around. I wonder if you were aware of this?"

Dwight stared. Although the lawyer who handled all of Quattro's business, both legal and not-even-close, Jimmy Chiles was not a thoroughly bad man, if one you wouldn't really care to talk to. But if doing his job meant it was harder for Section Thirteen to do theirs, he didn't really mind. That particular question was probably one he shouldn't answer. He hadn't actually asked Taurus to do that, but that was the advantage of having a friend with some common sense…and knowing what brand of alcohol he preferred. "Well, you have to admit, they're charged with being involved in everything that happened last night – and that's an awful lot to answer for."

"Regardless, answering to any crime should be done in the presence of legal counsel." Jimmy smiled. "But I'm sure I don't have to say so to a member of the Bureau, do I?"

No, ammo, no ammo…breathing in quietly, he nodded back. "Right, of course."

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Police Station Jail – 1022 Hours**

"I ain't sayin' _nothing_."

"You just did." Dwight said, giving Nelson a brief look. He hadn't come here hoping for him to say anything in the first place: the guy wasn't exactly on his list of people who might know something. The four cronies were two to a cell, and the only ones currently enjoying the station's hospitality – must have been a slow day. _"Alright, might as well get this over with."_

He began to pace back and forth in front of the cells, applying his best Bad Cop voice. "Now, I think it's pretty obvious that Quattro threw all of you out to dry. You didn't come close to taking down a single one of us-"

One of the left cell's occupants let out a whine. "If she'd just gotten hit with those rockets, I'd have _demolished_-"

A short burst of energy seared over the speaker's head. "He wasn't talking to you, Crash. You're not demolishing a doll-house in here, so shut up already."

The gun-nut looked down and pouted, while Jimmy gave the Sergeant a curt frown, but said nothing. Riki, who was unlucky enough to share cells with Crash, raised his head to glare at Dwight. "Unless you can make yourself scarier than the Boss, Jacobs, you might as well walk right back out that door. Nobody here's dumb enough to cross him. Don't give us that witness protection crap, either; that doesn't matter at all with him."

"Yeah, and what makes you think we know anything, either?" Nelson scowled. "You just said we were a bunch of goons."

Jimmy cleared his throat quickly. "Well, I think that settles things. If you'll just-"

"Who said I was disputing that?" Dwight said, stepping closer. "That's pretty much what you've chosen to be. But I think you're also the kind of people who care enough about their skins to keep an ear open. You never know when something might come in handy out there, right?"

A moment passed, and Riki flipped him off. "Not. Worth it. Words aren't going to make me talk, Jacobs." He grinned. "Unless you want to try something better?"

"_Oh, please." _the sniper thought, eying Jimmy with one eye. But even so he'd be lying that some part of him hadn't gone _yes _at the idea…as much as that mattered. "Fine. But you know who to ask for if you ever figure out what's actually good for you."

He turned and strode off, but the thug's words followed him. "Don't have the guts, do you? That bitch from your team didn't, either."

Dwight stopped, squeezing his hands enough to show through the gloves. And then kept going, stepping harder now.

"Don't worry about it," Taurus said, "punks like that just don't know better, that's all."

"One of these days they will." the sniper muttered, punching his hand into one palm. "Once I show all of them that Barnes is just a bunch of talk and a big name."

Taurus nodded sagely. "Yeah, and that's the only reason, right?"

Turning, the earthling gave him a look. "Exactly."

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Angelo Corporation Gym – 1024 Hours**

With a cry muffled by burlap, a hapless young intern flew backward, landing hard on a thankfully matted floor. He let out a groan as Barnes caught the punching bag when it flew back toward him. Giving the human a look of sympathy, he sighed. "You might as well run along now. There are probably better things to do now, right?"

The intern nodded gratefully, and left the room rather quickly. He went past Katie, currently flopped across a couch in the gym's small rest area. Licking her thumb, she flipped to the next page of her magazine. "Are you almost done? I have some things I want to run by Mister Quattro, and your opinion of him matters too much to do it by myself."

"'For some reason', is what you were thinking, right?" Barnes gave the bag a trio of punches that almost sent it straight over the bar. "Well, it can wait. I doubt he'll be too interested in another one of your plan so soon after the last one blew up. Besides, he's been taking calls since almost before he woke up." A swift kick sent the target in a wide arc around to his side.

Licking her finger again, Katie jabbed it in that direction. A thin bolt of lightning sent the punching bag falling limply to the ground. "First of all, dear Barnes," she said sweetly, "my plan worked perfectly. Alyssa was immobilized, and the energy from her fighting powered up that statue even quicker. And by the time I joined this fine organization, Mister Quattro had already planned out how to use the statue – I merely filled in some of the particulars, such as with the other Logia." She added hurriedly, "Of course, he's hardly to blame either: he had no way of knowing how it would perform."

Barnes frowned as he walked over to the wall the weights were hung on. "It didn't beat the full squad, yeah. But there was someone there who shouldn't have been, wasn't-" He stopped, grunting slightly as a larger bolt burned a hole in the back of his suit.

Shrugging his shoulders as an itch ran through them, he turned to see Katie had stood up, glaring at him with sudden venom. "I take it that's the lizard talking? Why don't you go straight for the throat: you think that weakling bea – _tricking _me is my fault? _Do_ you?"

At her anger-filled words, the mana link the two shared twanged up and down like a loose guitar string. She probably didn't feel a thing, but Barnes held back a wince. "What exactly would be so wrong about that?" he asked, eyes glinting behind the sunglasses. "Someone has to eventually; you're obviously never going to admit it yourself."

Katie narrowed her eyes, squeezing her hands hard. They dropped near her belt, where Coltello was kept clipped. Sparks began to crackle in the air.

Then Barnes did what the Lightning Triad had made more than a few people regret deeply: turned his back on her. Picking up a few of the weights, he tested them in his hands. Not to his surprise, whoever made the weights hadn't intended them for a familiar's use, and all but the heaviest weighed next to nothing in his hands. Behind him, his mage continued to fume, until he spoke again.

"You're frustrated, right?" the hybrid murmured, not looking around. "I know I'd be, and have been. But what is getting mad about it going to do? When something I do doesn't work out for whatever reason…" Finally he picked up the largest weight, hefting it and nodded. "…I make sure it won't come up again."

"So what does that mean for me?" Katie asked. "Not to be a fool?"

Barnes shrugged as he selected another large weight, walking over to a machine meant for training legs. "I don't know; psychology isn't one of my many talents. And I've never been too into introspection – you should come up with that answer yourself." He looked back. "But Quattro didn't hire you for sitting around and moping, I'd remind."

Staring at his back, the scheming mage was silent for a moment, and then left the room quickly.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Street Outside Police Station – 1025 Hours**

After asking how Taurus had been, Dwight left as politely as he could. Walking down the stairs in a huff, he was surprised to look up at the smell of smoke and see Jeanne standing at his car.

"You look like what I usually see in the mirror at about six." she commented, sipping at a cup of coffee at the same time, somehow. "I take it the visit didn't pan out."

The sniper nodded unhappily. "Too scared. Too stupid, too, if you ask me."

"I know that feeling." His captain held a stack of papers in her other hand, and she passed them over. "I've been taking the more direct route, myself. Went down to Rafflesia Industries' building after breakfast." She blew some smoke into the air above. "They've practically been shaking everyone involved with the construction around by their legs trying to find out who made that little 'addition'. Their own team did the job, apparently, and most of them were living here locally. I went by the addresses of the no shows, but-"

Dwight frowned. "Gone?"

Jeanne nodded back. "To the last man. I guess all of them must have gotten pressing business just yesterday. And it was so urgent most of them didn't really have time to pack: I let myself in." She gestured to the files. "They were smart enough not to leave anything about the building job there, but I did find one very interesting file recurring on a fewl of their computers: a record of a job done a few weeks ago, on a small moon a ways away from Gardius. It was a small digging operation, and they weren't told who the client was, and to keep their mouths shut afterward."

"So," her lieutenant nodded, "probably where our stone buddy came from, then."

"Seems that way. I'll ask someone to investigate it when we send the report." She jabbed a finger at the car. "Speaking of, mind giving me a lift back to base?"

He'd figured that was why she was here. "Ever hear of this thing called Taxis?" he asked sardonically as they climbed in.

His captain gave him a wry look. "A TSAB captain using public transportation? That would look pretty bad, if you ask me."

"You know, of all my qualities I hoped would rub off on you, that wasn't really one that came to mind."

"That's a shame."

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Secretary's Office – 1025 Hours**

Back in his 'office', Anton sat with his nose…well, not close to the grindstone, but to the papers on his desk. Most of the papers he'd received were things the Major probably could have done himself if he'd felt like sparing a minute or two. But he was probably busy with other important work. Like _not _signing papers. He wouldn't have minded so much, except that there was really nothing to sink his teeth into. _"Something like a report, or a census – anything I can sink my brain into for a while instead of just wearing out my wrist." _The only interesting thing that had happened for a while had been Alyssa airing her displeasure to the CO next door. That had been…interesting. And he'd learned a few new vocabulary words, which he could never use in front of anyone, ever.

Unbeknownst to Anton, he was about to get just such a piece of paper. Just not in the way he was expecting. Putting the supply request he had just signed carefully in the 'out' pile, he picked up the next document. Or as the case was, envelope. Picking it up, he saw the letter was addressed to him. _"I suppose it got mixed in with this somehow." _And if not, he'd be more than a bit annoyed; what if it was something urgent?

He didn't even have to glance at the sender's address to know where it was from – only one place would send him written mail. Carefully opening it, Anton saw who it was from specifically. He frowned as the name leaped out at him, and it only got worse as the young man read what they had to say. His hands gripped the paper tighter, and his eyes narrowed tightly. Nearby, Akashic glowed worriedly: she'd seen her master like this once or twice before, and it hadn't ended well.

Finishing the letter, Anton placed it down on the table, carefully. Then, just as carefully, he slammed his hand there, too; a few papers from the 'in' stack blew off and landed on the floor, but he didn't seem to notice. Snatching up the offending stationary, Anton crushed it into a ball, threw it into the air and pointed. One half-second later, white confetti was raining down over the office.

Not a second or so after that, he swayed, grabbing onto the desk for support as a sudden wheezing filled the room. The secretary groped for his inhaler, and a quick breeze blew it into his hand. He breathed in deeply. "Tha…thanks, Akashic."

"_You must avoid stress in the workplace, Young Master." _the book murmured, as useless a piece of advice that admittedly was.

"Of course, you're right." Anton sighed, standing up straight. "I just..." He shook his head, sat back down, and resumed work. "It's nothing."

"_What-"_

"_Nothing._"

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Training Grounds – 1030 Hours**

"Come on, Ace, can't you go any quicker than that!?"

The strike artist leaped to one side as a set of fireballs whizzed past him. He glanced up, looking a tad hurt. "I'm moving as fast as I can, Alyssa, unless you want me to learn to fly right now?"

Alyssa frowned at the remark (although knowing Ace, it could have been completely sincere), but then sighed and lowered her weapon. "Yeah, I guess; sorry."

Ace kept down a sigh of relief. He glanced over at GD sitting by the side-lines, scorch marks marring his shell. After the argument had finally petered out, both officers assumed that was it, but unfortunately had then gotten roped into helping their captain burn off her stress down here. GD had gone first, deploying some holograms. After a few minutes with that puzzle, the Captain came up with a solution: blast all the images at once. From there he and Ace had taken turns. It wasn't like she could outlast both of them even if she was angry, right?

But even so, the pair was relieved to see Alyssa glance up as a message window opened nearby. "Hey, uh, you busy Alyssa?" Major Destin asked innocently.

The Fire Triad turned, mood changing as suddenly as a storm-cloud over a picnic. "Oh, depends. If it's anything _you _want me for, then-"

"Oh, not me, not me," he said hurriedly, waving his hands, "where would I get off, telling people to do things, right? No, it's about Anton."

Alyssa blinked. "Anton?" She frowned. "He's not hurt again is he?"

"Doesn't seem like it, or at least, not physically. He came in here a minute or two ago to drop things off, get my signature on some papers. Deathly quiet, barely said a word to me. Something must have happened, and, well, he's in your squad…"

The woman officer nodded. "Yeah, I'll go talk to him. Probably better that way: if _you_ do it, no telling who will find out."

Destin winced.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Dormitory, Arturia's Room – 1031 Hours**

"-thus, finally defeating the creature. I regret to say there is no physical evidence of the Logia remaining, but I assure you, my squad-mates will not forget anytime soon."

The graying, bearded gentlemen on the other side of the window nodded approvingly. "Quite impressive, Arturia. I see now that your choice of assignment was far from a hasty one." Gripping a cross pinned to his uniform, he nodded. "I hope you will excuse me."

From where she knelt, Arturia shook her head. "No, you were only thinking about what was best for me _and_ our House, sir. I hope that to merely be the first of such accomplishments while I am here." No-one watching would have dared accuse her of dishonesty; the earnestness in the knight's features left no room for doubt.

"I certainly hope so. This is far from a meaningless task you have undertaken, I'm sure you understand." His stern features softened somewhat. "I regret that-"

"No." the Saint Church disciple stood, features turning more resolute. "There can be no regrets if I am to accomplish our goal, sir…Father. For the sake of our House, and our ancestors, I can hold no doubts in my heart. Glory will never be obtained by those we cannot decide if they deserve it."

A smile cracked through the man's rocky visage. "I see you have been reading in your spare time. Well, I will not detain you any further; I am sure there are more important duties present. I will chronicle your tale immediately. And I will tell your mother, as well."

Something far less firm came to Arturia's eyes then. "Yes…thank you, Father." She saluted, and it was returned in kind. Without any further civilities, the transmission was cut.

The knightess stood there for a moment at attention, feeling the quiet dignity of her duty. _"I will make you proud Father, and prove my worth to the other knights. This, I swear."_

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Library – 1031 Hours**

Captain Stromhold was far from the only person doing research on last night today – but he would have definitely preferred talking about it to someone he didn't harbor a desire to punch in the face, jump up and down on the body of, and bury fifty feet underground. At least, professionally. Leaning back, Daniel kept one eye on him, the other on the hot-pot simmering nearby. Mmmm, boiled cabbage.

"So, Sammy, what did-"

The _gentleman _– emphasis Daniel's, and in exactly the way you'd think – adjusted his glasses and gave him a stare probably reserved for the doorman. "_Samuel_, Daniel; is it terribly much to ask you to remember my name after the tenth time?"

He raised an eyebrow back. "So just deciding to after how many years I've known you wouldn't piss you off." The word wrinkled his associate's lips, he was pleased to note. "But I'd prefer if we skip the di – ploma waving this time, if you don't mind. This is important."

_That _was enough to get the fancy pants' attention. He and Samuel had known each-other for a while, and by now they had pretty much adapted to everything that made them want to strangle the other, even if it…did that. Sammy was the head, founder and funder of the Ancient Belka Preservation Society, and although they had a bad habit of producing idiots like the ding-bat he'd dealt with last night, they'd also done some good work, mostly because the people on top hadn't shown up last for brains. Slept in late for the humble pie, though.

"If you insist," Samuel said, shaking off his surprise within a moment, "but unfortunately, I'm afraid we didn't find anything in our records that matches your description. Logia or otherwise, nothing like that has ever been recorded. Furthermore it sounds nothing like what we know of Draconian culture. Wherever it came from, Planet Gardius seems unlikely."

Daniel nodded, frowning. He hadn't really expected much else, but did it really matter when what was left of the thing was lining a gutter somewhere? "What about that chick who tried to knock my block off last night? You do much research into her?" Nearby, the pot chose that moment to steam. Leaning over, he grabbed up a spoon and stirred one-handed. "Not that I really think you're dumb enough to send someone like _that _to do it."

"I'd be insulted if you assumed we wouldn't contract it out. We are scholars, I'd remind you." Samuel fiddled with something on his end, and a TSAB profile filled the corner of the screen. "Miss Vito was with us until very recently, when we expelled her over a career choice deemed, well, unwise."

The archeologist stopped. "About what?" It couldn't be a coincidence, could it?

Samuel shrugged. "Some consultant work for a company, I believe. We take a dim view of using our talents for personal gain, as I'm sure you – oh, what am I saying – _don't _know."

Don't cut the feed, still need to get everything… "Do you remember their name?"

From the scholar's expression, the mere thought of that was offensive. "Why, I can't quite recall. Angel something, or along those lines at least. If you give me a moment I could possibly-"

"Nah, you got better things to do." Daniel said, and at that moment his cooking pot buzzed. "I'll see you later, Sammy."

"It's Samu-" he got out before the window vanished.

Hopping out of the chair, the librarian went to get a couple bowls. "So, I've got one piece of the puzzle. Mercedes was probably their consultant on that Logia. Maybe even told them how to activate it."

Sitting in the main area of the room of knowledge was Otavi, quietly reading a book on plants. She didn't reply.

He continued anyway. "I couldn't figure out where they dug up the thing, but hey, I can't do all the work, can I?"

When she did speak, he turned around so fast he almost smacked his head into the cupboard door. "From a place that should not have been disturbed." said the enigmatic girl, her eyes on a place far away from the library. She looked back to her book.

"…a lot of places are like that." Daniel replied vaguely, getting out two bowls. _"Like your memories, maybe."_

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Secretary's Office – 1033 Hours**

"Hey, Anton," Alyssa said, slamming the door to his room open wide, "Destin says you're in a crappy mood. How come?"

Anton looked up, staring as he lowered his pen. The T on the Major's name had turned into something that probably didn't count as a letter in modern society. "Um…w-what?"

She tapped her foot impatiently. "No 'what': you heard me. If something's bugging you, it's not going to go away by letting it stew. So c'mon, spill it."

He pursed his lips, remaining silent as he shrank a bit under her gaze. "Alright," he at last murmured quietly, "something did happen a little while ago, if you really want to know. My father sent me a letter."

"_Oh_."

A look of annoyance flashed across his face at her knowing one, but he continued. "In it he…well, I suppose I should tell you that not everyone in my family approved of what career I wanted. Most of them, actually, but he was the worst. It was mostly because of him that I took a desk job in the first place. It made him happy. I think."

Alyssa nodded. "So he was worried about you."

"No!" he cried, slamming his hands down on the desk. "He was just only-" Anton leaned back, and sighed. "I'm sorry. There's a lot more to it than that, Alyssa." Picking up Akashic, he opened the book in front of her, displaying an image of another young man, slightly older than him. His relation to Anton was obvious in a glance. "This is Edward, a cousin of mine. When I was growing up, he and his family were over at my house a lot. More than anything, he wanted to be an Enforcer when he joined the Bureau. I looked up to him a lot."

He slammed the tome shut, eyes distant. "Eventually, he did. It was easy for him; a lot of people called him a genius. And during his first major assignment, he and his entire team were found dead in their rooms. No-one knows why, least of all me. But my father thinks if I go down that path, the same thing will happen to me. I think you can imagine how he took me taking a position here." Anton's free hand clenched. "He…brought up Edward. That's what really made me mad."

A quiet moment passed in the small room, ended when Alyssa reached down and ruffled his hair. "That's some story you have there." She sighed. "I wasn't really expecting that…and I'm probably not the best person to talk to when it comes to big families or pressure like that or anything. But you decided to stay here because you wanted to, right?"

"…I suppose so. But my father."

"Screw him!" she said pleasantly. "If he's a real dad, he'll learn to deal with it sooner or later."

Anton winced. "It's more the in-between part that I'm worried about. I know he only wants me to be safe. It's just-"

Alyssa folded her arms, giving him a yard-long stare. "You're scared again?"

His lip quivered, and it looked like Anton might either bare his fangs or burst into tears. He settled for walking around the back of his desk and sitting down. "Yes, of course I am. I'm scared of him thinking I was a nuisance to the family. I'm scared of just fading into everyone else's shadow, like I'm not even there. And I'm scared of…of everyone forgetting about Edward. He wanted to do so much, and now even his own parents barely want to say his name, like it's a taboo." He shrugged pitifully. "So, yes, I'm scared of a lot of things. Sorry."

Taking the next document, he signed it absent-mindedly. Turn-about was fair play, Alyssa supposed – it was her turn to feel awkward as hell.

"Alright, maybe you have a point," she admitted, "I guess I'm not exactly a normal person, when you get down to it. But I wasn't thinking about that." Anton received a rueful smile. "Sorry."

"Oh no, I-"

Alyssa smacked herself in the forehead. "Damn, you can't even admit you were right when I _just_ said so? Baby steps, I suppose." She waved as walked back for the door. "See you later, Anton."

At the last instant, though, she turned back. "All of them, and not one person knows why?"

Anton shrugged.

After she had left, and he was well and sure it would stay that way, he reached over to pick up Akashic once more. He flipped through the pages, going toward the very back. The pages there appeared to be blank-

"Anton Langsley."

-at first, anyway. When he spoke his name calmly and carefully, the pages glowed, words blinking into view. One thing was for sure, they definitely weren't the kind of thing an inspector _or _secretary would ordinarily have written down. Mostly it was names, or dates, but a few testimonials were there as well. Anton touched the first page with his index finger, and the information was projected up into a large holographic display, now with faces to match the names, and lines linking many pieces of information. Much of the text was gathered around several large images – the sight of the murder, his brother's assignment, and most of all, _why_.

Staring at the research, Anton spoke to his device, quietly. "And if I was really a coward, I wouldn't have written all of this down, would I?" He pursed his lips. "That wasn't…_technically_ a lie, either." He looked toward the array's center-piece: a large question. "I still have no idea who really did it. Not yet.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Side Street – 1101 Hours**

Ace preferred not to carry a watch, or anything else like that, even if he weren't the type that would break them on accident, but he would have checked it as he hurried down the sidewalk. It wouldn't have changed the fact he was late, but…well, there had to be some reason people wore them, or what was the point? Maybe it did something really subtle, and he just didn't notice.

But in any case, he was late to his appointment; he'd gotten too caught up training with Alyssa. To tell the truth, even if he hadn't known they were off today, he still would have gone off to his destination. It was definitely a little dishonest, and probably something that would get his ears talked off by Arturia and GD if they found out. But, well…they'd been so eager when they asked him to come back. Even if the others would disagree, he couldn't just say no. _"Oh, but then they'd just say I was making excuses, wouldn't they?" _He sighed, scratching at his forehead, wondering why he'd decided to worry about this now of all times. _"I'm not _that _slow, am I?"_

Fortunately none of that thinking got in the way of his body, as usual, and he had reached his destination only a bit late. It was a small building, dwarfed by two larger ones on either side, so that only those truly looking would find it. Ace liked that, even if he couldn't explain why. He approached the front door, only for his senses to shout out a warning. The strike artist smiled; that was one good thing about coming late at least. Carefully sliding the wooden door open, he stepped through, calling, "Hello!"

There were two attacks, each coming from either side of the door. Quickly moving into a crouch, Ace put up a shield of light static on the right to block a sweeping kick, using the momentum to flip the attacker over. At the same time he brought up his palm, blocking a strong punch that came from the opposite direction - not as strong as his counter-shove, though, which sent them reeling away. The end result was the former opponent landing gracefully, the latter…less so.

"Aw, maaaaaan!" he whined. "I really thought we had you that time!"

Ace smiled. "Well, you were close." He reached down and gave the eager boy a hand up. "I think it would have rung my bell a little, too."

"Hm." grunted his other attacker, a more serious-looking girl. "There's no need to flatter us needlessly, Mr. Spade. It's obvious we didn't stand a chance of touching you."

"Y-you don't have to say it like _that_, Sis!" the boy cried, pouting.

Suppressing a chuckle, Ace nodded to the two of them. "Ryu, Sakura, I hope your week was alright."

He then turned to the rest of the room – a long, spacious gym that made up most of the building. Two benches sat alongside a sparring area marked off with even lines. Sitting at one of them, a pot of tea next to him, was an older man, dressed in exactly the attire you'd think of for a dojo master. Ace strode up to him and bowed. "It's nice to see you too, Ma-STER!"

Ryu and Sakura both stared. After all that waiting, all it took to hit Ace was just suddenly chopping him across the eyes? As the corporal touched his forehead gingerly, wincing, the master took a sip of his tea, giving him a cold stare from underneath bushy eyebrows. "That's for keeping me up last night. Some people still need to get sleep, you know."

An apologetic look appeared on Ace's face, which faded (slightly) when he remembered exactly what his job was. "Well I'm sorry, Master, but it's not like we could just sit there-" he tried to duck another quick chop, and failed, "-and not do anything while the city was wrecked. If you could have done it quietly, maybe you should give us some advice?"

This got him another hard stare, but the Master sighed after a moment. He'd learned quick enough that Ace just didn't use sarcasm. "If you ask me, I could teach all of you more than that." Another sip. "But I have my hands full keeping a business here. It's bad enough that you keep coming here to butt in."

Ace just smiled, nodding. He'd grown himself a thick skin even before coming to Section Thirteen, and when talking with the Master, it was the best weapon you could have. The man wasn't a legendary trainer, but he was fine with becoming known as a merely very skilled one, a reputation which had gotten him several regulars at his dojo, Ryu and Sakura foremost among them. If there was a style of martial arts involving magic, he could probably teach it, if you could put up with his teaching methods. He really didn't mean what he said, though – mostly.

The young man had found the place about a week or so after joining Section Thirteen, and had more or less become an unofficial trainer here (Master had been quite clear on the 'un' part). He wasn't really sure if it was doing any good, but the kids seemed to be happy with it. Alyssa had said it was probably because they saw a kindred spirit, whatever that meant. He knew he liked coming here, and that was good enough for him.

"If you're taking a break, Master, I could-" Ace smiled as he waved dismissively. "Alright, then. Ryu, Sakura, are you ready to go?"

Brushing her ponytail aside, Sakura returned it wryly. "Sometimes you sound more eager than us about this, Mr. Spade."

"Aw, that just means he can tell skill when he sees it, Sis. Right, Ace?"

The corporal took a moment before he nodded. "Yes, of course. I'm honored to be able to spare with you two."

As the two appreciated the compliment (in their own way, of course), Ace moved over to the other side of the sparring area, taking a stance. "Alright, on my count. No starting early like last time, Ryu."

"Y-yeah, I remember what happened…"

As he counted, Ace thought about what she had just said. _"Eager, eh?" _He couldn't lie about that. Even just the word of an upcoming fight or spar was enough to make his whole body twinge in anticipation. And hadn't he come here after one to begin with? Could those parts of him be sneakier than he thought? Or maybe it was _him _who thought about it like that, sometimes. Or-

Abruptly, he became aware Ryu and Sakura were speaking to him, and had been for the last few moments. "Is something wrong, Mr. Spade? You're being awfully quiet today." The two were staring at him, worry in their eyes.

-maybe it didn't matter. He shook his head. "No, nothing." Ace raised his arm up. "That's five, and – GO!"

The fighters leapt.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Labs – 1105 Hours**

"And, that's about that. I pronounce you a clean bill of…well, general composition. You can get up now."

GD rose, stretched briefly to test his servos, and hopped down the floor, nodding politely. **"Gratitude: thank you for the tune-up, Doctor. I apologize if I was rough on this body last night."**

Forrester shook his head, giving a crooked smile. "Oh, not at all. Depending on what you subscribe to, all of us are using bodies made by someone else anyway. But if you really want to thank someone, you could try these two idiots. Praise is like a rubber bone for them."

"Ha ha, what a funny joke, Doctor Forrester sir!" Joel chirped.

"I may have to start using that myself, now!" Mike put in.

The gadget drone stared, then turned back to the scientist. **"Query: I am told that you have been going over the data from last night, Doctor. May I see the results?"**

Forrester tapped away at the keyboard in front of him. "By all means. Some of it's rather interesting, if I say so myself, and you're one of the only people here who understands what I'm talking about with any consistency." A picture of the gargoyle came up. "First of all, I went through the scans I got off the logia you all fought last night, and got…well, almost nothing, really. I'd need to examine it physically to get anything truly concrete out of it, and obviously that isn't going to happen."

He leaned back. "What I could tell was that it was very powerful, and had powers I've never seen come from any mage in all my years. But more importantly – and this is just a hunch, you understand – I don't believe it was designed to attack."

GD paused. The Good Doctor rarely ever spoke seriously for this long. **"Observation: I believe many of the officers would disagree with that opinion, Doctor."**

Forrester nodded. "Well yes, of course it could _defend_ itself. You'd be a fool to design something that couldn't if it had an important duty."

"**Correction: or, rather, one that could not defend its master."**

"A good point." he nodded. "But I suppose it doesn't matter much now. Still, it gives me a funny feeling, like that twinge I sometimes get in my…" the scientist coughed, typing again. "Anyway, I think I'd be right if I guessed that's not what you were interested in." The logia disappeared, replaced by images of the new Nailheads from last night.

More images appeared, these ones of the officers, each next to one model in particular. "As I'm sure you can tell, all of these new units are based off one of the officers stationed here. The sniping model for Mr. Jacobs, the swordsman model for Miss – oh, excuse me, Lady Arturia. Now," he said, licking his lips briefly, "I will admit these are a better concept than most of Scaglietti's work, no offense, but they have their own problems."

A hand of gnarled fingers began to be ticked off. "Over-specialization, for one; the long-range units are doomed in close combat, and vice versa for the melee ones. Which means you'll have to deploy all of them in a battle to get maximum effectiveness. And when they're based on people who have files readily available to the ones you're trying to kill them with. Lastly, with the amount of coordination we've seen from them so far, I doubt any specialization could help matters."

"However…" One finger rose again. "Most of this could be solved with the introduction of one thing." It came down to tap a button, and in-between all of the models appeared another, shadowed one. "A commander unit. If you ask me, that's the logical conclusion to all this, and it could make dealing with these robots much more difficult."

GD nodded slowly. **"Statement: I see. That is quite logical, Doctor. I have thought about that possibility myself; now that another has confirmed it, I will be on the look-out for this commander."**

A slow smile spread across Forrester's features. "And prove to them you're the better machine, eh?"

The sergeant cocked his head to one side.** "Statement: I am unsure what you are talking about, Doctor. I am merely curious about a fellow robot's capabilities. Meeting them in battle would merely the most efficient way of determining that."**

"If you say so."

"**Agreement: yes, I believe such a thing has transpired."**

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Headquarters, CO's Office – 1137 hours**

Destin leaned back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling fan, swiveling slightly to peer out the window. Anywhere was a better view than the news he had just gotten. At least he hadn't eaten lunch yet.

After a minute or trying to put off the inevitable, the Major leaned forward, closely studying the report of death before him.

It had been a small group, five of them including their commander. They had been out on a scouting mission, looking into an anonymous tip relating to a big case. The information couldn't be traced back to any definite source, so they'd been told to be careful. By all accounts, they had been – just not quite enough. There were no signs of a struggle and the blast wounds were precise, meaning there had been an ambush. Or that someone hadn't been on the side they claimed.

Either way, lives had been taken, and all because one of them had thrown his lot in with the wrong team. _"So that's how things are going to be now, is it?"_

There was nothing worse than an enemy who truly believed what they were doing was right. And now it turned out they had a whole pack of them right by their doorstep. The Major felt a slight shiver go down his spine. A storm was coming, to excuse the cliché, and he had a feeling they were going to get pretty damn wet before it was over. _"This was supposed to be a simple position…" _he sighed. _"But maybe I lost my right to any of those a while ago."_

He wondered if his men would be prepared for something like this.

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Headquarters, Secretary's Office – 1141 Hours**

Anton wondered exactly what life had been like on The Triad's ship. Probably a little awkward occasionally, since his captain evidently had the idea that knocking was something other people did.

"Hey Anton, catch." she said, smiling, before tossing a bulky helmet right at him. Gasping, he reached out, scrambling with his hands, and managed to get a hold of it before it ruined a few hours' worth of work.

"W-what are you doing, Alyssa!? You nearly gave me a-"

Ignoring him, she jabbed a thumb toward the doorway. "Come on, I'm taking you out to lunch."

A few questions arose in Anton's mind, all of them about why exactly she had to throw something at his head to do that, but that was probably a losing maneuver. Setting the helmet down on the floor carefully, he checked his watch. "It's not my break yet, though. Could you come back at twelve?"

Alyssa's face fell faster than a shot from Dwight. "…seriously, Anton?"

"Well, it's not my break. Sorry."

"_Seriously_?"

Anton frowned. "I'm not going to get up just because you're doing that. We can go when I'm done, alright?" His annoyance had one blessing, at least; otherwise he'd have realized just how easily he had agreed to go out with her.

Her face fell further – almost into a pout – and she dragged out the free chair to flounce down in, stretching out to stare at the wall. Anton sighed inwardly and returned to his work…only for the sound of her tapping a foot against the floor to intrude on his concentration. He resisted glancing up, and it stopped. And then started again a few moments later. Frowning, he pressed his pen deeper into the documents, scratching it more loudly. In response, she tapped harder.

This continued like that for, oh, maybe five minutes, until Anton slammed his hands down on the table. "Alright, I'll go! Just cut it out already!"

Alyssa grinned. "Cool."

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Headquarters, Garage – 1145 Hours**

"Um…"

Alyssa glanced up from where she sat, looking exasperated. "What now? You're looking at it like it's some kind of torture machine."

"_Depends on who's operating it." _Anton thought morosely. It wasn't just that the motorcycle sat in one corner of the garage like a metal, aerodynamic wild animal, even if that helped. It was more how Alyssa sat on it that worried him. She looked eager, and he'd never heard of anyone eager to drive one of these things _carefully_.

It wasn't the only thing, either. As he clipped on the helmet (was it his imagination, or was it a bit thin?), he gestured at it and her lack of one with his eyes. "Aren't you, uh…"

"Huh? Oh, nah." She smiled. "I've never really needed one, y'know?"

Anton did indeed know, going by her expression. But even considering what he'd admitted earlier, saying he was too scared to let his captain drive would be a bit _too _far. Sighing inwardly, he climbed up beside her.

The red-head revved the engine, making Anton jump as the bike shook. "You hanging on to something?"

His gaze went down to her waist for a moment – and his hands promptly went to the chair's handles. "Ah, yes, I think so."

Alyssa grinned, revving the engine a few more times. Anton's hands increased their grip each time.

"Awesome. It'd suck if you fell off, right?" She definitely noticed him squirm that time. "Don't worry, I'll go slow."

The wheels spun, the engine roared, and they were off. Like someone above had flipped a switch, the world quickly blurred into a rush of sight and sound. Anton had been meaning to keep his head down and ride it out, but he couldn't help raising it to look at the passing surroundings. Even while flying, things had never quite looked like this. Maybe _this_ was what she really wanted to show him – a way of teaching him to try new things during his position. He had probably misjudged Alyssa, hadn't-

And that was when the first turn came.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Roadside Restaurant – 1150 Hours**

"Okay, okay, slow down when taking corners too. I'll remember next time, really."

"I think that…would be even worse…" Anton moaned as he sat as close to the ground as physically possible. "We were almost…horizontal for a second there." The bike didn't seem bothered by it, sitting quietly behind him. He would have leaned up against it if he didn't think it would self-destruct any second. There was no way they were made for _that _kind of driving.

Not resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Alyssa yanked him up. "That's a little dramatic, don't you think? You made it all the way here, and you're still in one piece. And," she added, lifting one finger, "don't add something smart onto that, 'cause I know you're thinking it."

Anton shut his mouth. It's not like he was doing it on purpose…aloud, he asked, "What is this place, exactly? You didn't say much about it." He was a little curious about what kind of food his captain preferred when she had a choice. The cafeteria was alright, but it left a little to be desired if you wanted something particular. He could do with learning about the local restaurants himself.

"See for yourself." she replied, holding the door open for him. An odd smell wafted out, almost pinching his nose as it tickled it. Had he been this hungry just a minute ago?

The inside of the diner was a low-roofed, dim affair; the only light came from a few lanterns hanging from the ceiling. A long bar went across most of the room, and the people seated at it and the few tables didn't even glance up from their dishes. Behind the bar, workers could be seen bustling through the steamy air.

More than a few members of his family couldn't have set foot in a place like this without their nose turning up so far it went through their head. But Anton had given veto power over that to his taste-buds a long time ago – not, of course, that he'd ever broadcast that to anyone. Nonetheless, though, it had to be said: "Oh, just noodles."

_That _did what two (well, maybe one-and-a-half) Bureau officers walking in the door couldn't. As one, every diner in the restaurant raised their head to glare at him. He gulped, but that wasn't as bad as the pinch Alyssa gave him on the cheek a half-second later. "Whaddya mean, _just _noodles?"

"W-well," he muttered, voice slurred, "I _have_ been in a few places like this before. Sorry if I'm not really surprised."

A slow smile spread across Alyssa's face. "Oh, really? I can fix that."

She dragged him over to the bar, and they both sat down to wait. "Although to be honest, I am a little surprised. You wouldn't expect to find an heir who even admits places like this exist."

"It's not as though I had much choice," Anton replied, going a bit pink in his cheeks, "despite what my parents would have you believe, there aren't many five star restaurants around military academies." Even the really good ones had them _inside_. "It was either hoof it to the nearest restaurant, or go to the cafeteria. And…no-one wanted to go there."

"Sounds like kind of a craphole."

Anton nodded. "You're right there. It took more than a little convincing for Mother and Father to let me study there."

Alyssa's eyes were half on him, half on the menu. "Why'd you go, then?"

"Well, it's dumb," he shrugged, "but…I kind of thought a more prestigious place would make sure that I didn't have to do anything really difficult in training. I didn't want that to happen just because my parents were successful. _I'm _really nothing special, so how is that fair?" He blushed again. "At least, that's what I thought."

A moment passed, and then she turned to him and smiled. "That's pretty cool, Anton."

He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. "Well, it didn't quite work – they still showed up there after I got a bloody nose."

They both shared a laugh at that.

A short while later, their waiter bustled up, all smiles. From the looks of him, it had been a busy night. "Evening, Alyssa. Been a while since I've seen you in here."

"I've been busy. But almost getting killed last night made me hungry."

He laughed, but Anton just stared at the countertop. Something about knowing it wasn't a joke lessened the humor a tad. "So, who's your friend?" The rookie couldn't help but feel he sounded just a bit too sure of that, but maybe it was for the best.

"A new guy," Alyssa said, ruffling his hair again, "he decided he wanted to try being as crazy as the rest of my team." Her smile grew wider. "And with that in mind, he decided he'd like to try the _special _dish here."

Recognition dawned quickly, and the waiter gave them a thumbs-up, badly concealing a knowing wink toward her. "Oooh, does he? Well then, coming right up sir."

Anton frowned as he went eagerly back to report the order. "I'm about to regret opening my mouth, aren't I?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." she said, still grinning.

It wasn't long before the man returned with two dishes, one fairly normal, the other…well, it was entirely possible the cover, thick metal plate, and oozing from the rim were all coincidental – just like it was possible he wore these glasses for the aesthetic benefits. "For Alyssa, there's a regular, and for her _gentleman friend_," he waggled his eyebrows, "our specialty: the Dragon's Breath Noodle Bowl!"

Anton stared as it was plopped down in front of him, then gingerly lifted the lid. The steam clouded up his glasses in an instant, but even through them it shone like a spell someone had fit a dish around. He set the frames down, and yep, the name was spot on.

He could sense Alyssa and the waiter staring at him. It didn't take a social butterfly to tell he wasn't getting out of here without _something _of his getting burnt. Sighing, he picked up the spoon.

The captain's eyes widened at the morsel he scooped up. "Uh, Anton, you might wanna-"

"You wanted me to eat it, didn't you?" Anton shot back, and wrapped his lips around the spoon. He blinked, not noticing all the eyes on his back. "Hey, this is good!"

Someone's spoon clattered into their soup.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Secretary's Office – 1709 Hours**

Anton hummed to himself slightly as his pen scratched down the page, dictating a report Major Destin had sent to his desk. Alyssa had done exactly what she wanted to: he was in a far better mood than earlier, and all it cost her were a few odd looks as they rode back. He wondered how long that would go on for. A while, probably; he didn't know everything fire could do, while she didn't know everything wind could. Like cool down a spoonful of molten soup from inside his mouth. Not many elements could do that, could they?

It was sneaky, but he had to get a hold of things here sooner or later. And that was one person he knew better here, at least. _"Only ten more to go…" _Well, he had time.

Another positive of his little joke was that it distracted him, at least a little, from reflecting on the information he was copying down. None of it was anything that bore thinking about it. "…unfortunately, Section Thirteen was unable to capture the Logia, which proved exceptionally resilient and hostile, but civilian casualties were kept largely to a minimum as it was focused largely upon our officers." He gave the document another glance, and continued.

"However, during the night's operations, in addition to both of Captain Triad's wayward siblings, now on the opposite side of her, we encountered several new models of the droids that have been attacking Planet Gardius." He frowned. "As you know, these models have been sighted on several attacks on Bureau personnel during operations, along with the machines known as War Armors." Photographic proof of the attacks was present with the information – he avoided looking at it.

"Since the earliest encounters with these new units were on Gardius, it can be taken as proof that the group behind them is located on or nearby the planet, as can the agent Lieutenant Dwight encountered nearby the second Logia. This has been recovered, stored, and now awaits transfer to Bureau Headquarters. The report also contains records on what Captain Stromhold believes to be the initial location of the humanoid Logia, and who was responsible for building the underground area the explosive one was kept within."

All in all, a complicated mission for anyone's first day on the job. Maybe not in writing, but that was why he didn't want a desk job, wasn't it? And there were other benefits too. A group assassinating Bureau personnel… _"It'd be too lucky for it to be _them_. But if they want to get rid of us, I'm not going down without a fight!"_

At the time, he had no idea how prophetic those words would be.

_To be continued…_

_Not a day or two after the last case comes another curious one; investigating some unusual seismic activity on one of Gardius' moons. Unfortunately, while it has also attracted the attention of one Mr. Angelo, he is not the one responsible – and the confrontation that ensues will be a very direct one._

_Next time, Descent. Who will they meet down in the dark?_


	11. Descent

**Section Thirteen**

**Chapter Ten: Descent**

**Not Gardius – A Crashed Ship - ? Hours**

A rather embarrassing, and rather illogical fact of the average TSAB soldier was that, on occasion, you found yourself in the company of children who could slap you silly at something you'd trained to do for years. This wasn't too bad for those who could swallow their pride…unless that child happened to be on the opposite side from you. Then it _sucked_.

And especially so for one hapless private; reeling backward, he let out a cry of agony as flames consumed what remained of his barrier jacket before starting on the flesh underneath. His partner quickly extended their hand, summoning a brief healing circle to dispel them and offer what aid it could, even if it was through multi-tasking. This brat was no joke.

"Too slow, loser!" And fast, too. She jetted in, jabbing at him with that damn flaming spear. He dodged to one side, but it still pierced him there, and near his leg too – damn the Kaiser, it was hot.

He hit the ground, and the girl gave her weapon a twirl, some of his blood flicking off the tip. For a moment he thought that was it, but she lowered the spear and let out a contemptuous snort. "You really don't have anyone worth my time, huh. Why'd you guys even bother showing up?" Without even a glance back at him, she took to the air.

It was the closest any attack had come to her so far. The fire-flinging girl twitched aside, barely avoiding a blast of pink energy that came from above. Looking up, he gave a smile of relief. "Sergeant!'

She replied with a look of concern typical of her. "If you're too injured to fight, get back to the ship; the medical bay is filling up fast."

He hesitated, which she seemed to notice. "I'll handle things here." That firm tone of voice settled matters: when the Sergeant said she was going to handle something, it got handled. Nodding, he rose shakily to his feet, ascending out of the battle. The two barely noticed, squaring off at each-other. This was going to be the furthest thing from a skirmish, and both of them knew it immediately.

Alyssa Triad leaned against her spear, sneering. Something about the girl pissed her off: the outfit, maybe, all girly colors and frills. She almost looked like a doll. But no, it had to be the look in her eyes. It wasn't contempt, or anger, and she'd seen plenty of both before now. Instead it was more like…disappointment? Who the hell would be sad now?

"I have a feeling I know your answer already," Nanoha Takamachi murmured, "but won't you surrender? There's no reason for us to fight."

"…really?" The sneer changed to a full-on glare. "'cause from where I'm standing, there's plenty. You crash our ship, attack my old man, try to arrest all of us…" She pointed Bowie's blade toward her. "And then you tell _me _to give up? I think you'll make a _perfect_ hostage!"

The stupid girl looked even sadder. "Is that really how you think about this? That it has to be you or other people?" She waved a hand over the aftermath of Alyssa's battle so far. "There's no point to any of this!"

One Flash Move later and Alyssa's spear clashed against her staff. This just gave her less space to talk through. "If you beat me, then what happens after? You think your family would want you to go on the run? Your father's already-"

"SHUT UP! You're lying!" Three times the spear hit the other device's shaft, getting deflected each time. Growling, Alyssa flew backward, firing a set of fireballs at the white-clad mage. "I'm not letting you touch him or anyone else! I'm gonna protect my family!"

The smoke cloud billowed up for a moment, before an intense pressure snapped over all of her limbs; a set of pink bands was responsible. She grit her teeth as Nanoha emerged from the smoke cloud, unharmed but for a few scuff marks. "Alright, then," she murmured, disappointment now tinged with anger, "if you think you can…"

If it was possible for a pink glow to be ominous, the one that came from her device now qualified in spades. Pinpoints of light of the same color blinked into view across the field, travelling toward it like fireflies. Alyssa stared, struggling against the binds as the energy grew. The hand holding Bowie was the first to break, the other ones following soon after. By that point it had grown almost as big as she was. What the hell kind of spell _was _that?

It didn't matter. The flame on Bowie's tip grew several sizes, sharpening to a point that was almost white-hot. "I'm not…"

"LOSING TO YOU!"

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Dormitory, Alyssa's Room – 0602 Hours**

"…" slowly, Alyssa opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling like it owed her money. _"Again? …can't even let me deal with this shit by myself, can you?"_

Groping behind her for the pillow, she flung it down over her head and rolled over. Some days it just didn't pay to get out of bed, early or not.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius? – Location Unknown – 0712 Hours**

Lacerta began tapping her finger against the console, and frowned.

Risking a glance toward his daughter, Leonard frowned. He would be quite a poor father if he couldn't tell his child's mood, and she'd passed merely being annoyed about an hour ago. Something about the boy just got under her skin, and he seemed to take an odd amount of pride in digging himself deeper at every opportunity. It probably wasn't on purpose this time, however; he knew better than that…as long as Cashim was around.

Still, though, he usually wasn't this late. "I could send out a few of the Vanguards to-"

"And have them come back broken, Father?" she replied quickly. "The Commander is the only one who can make him do anything he doesn't wish to." She clicked her tongue. "Of course, when she asks, it no longer _is_ what he did not want to do."

As if on cue, the door in the wide, brightly lit room they were looking over slid open, and a young man stumbled out as if he'd just been pushed. He rubbed his back, frowning. "Alright, I'm going, I'm going!"

He walked to the center of the room, bouncing back and forth on his heels expectantly. "Well?" he asked after a few moments, brushing his brown hair aimlessly. "What's the deal, Lacerta? You fall asleep at the switch?"

The girl twitched, and her hand moved toward a large button, but the sound of control room's door sliding open halted her. Turning, a slight smile broke through her features. "Commander."

Cashim nodded back curtly. "Lacerta." Her helmet was on, as always, and she moved without any sign of discomfort despite the armor. Striding up to the control pnale, she hit the switch for the intercom. "I hope you enjoyed that break, Ryusei, because today is going to be a little difficult."

Ryusei grinned. "You mean _you're _coming down here, boss? That's the only way I can see me breaking a sweat."

She ignored the noise of discomfort Leonard made next to her. "You might be surprised."

"Heh, if you say so."

Removing her finger, she gestured to the old man. "Put all of their settings parameters close to maximum, please, Doctor."

"Are you sure?"

The soldier nodded. "He has to learn not to underestimate people on his side, droids or no. Especially now, with that unit nearing completion."

Leonard looked momentarily unsure, but a look of realization crossed his face. "Well," he said carefully, "if that's what you want, then there is something else almost ready for battle." Nearby, Lacerta raised an eyebrow.

Cashim's mask didn't show any such feelings. "Alright, then. Send it out."

His hands quickly flew across the keyboard, and what appeared to be the window lit up with screens displaying information far beyond her. Simple memory told her they were far above average. Good; he could use some humility for a change.

Ryusei was one of the first members to join their group, and she'd been involved with his induction personally. But not one of these sessions had gone by since where she didn't wonder if he was really ready. He had no personal stake in their goals, or any necessary benefit from this arrangement. And even given that these battles were fake, the idea that battles were life or death didn't come easily to him. Without even that backing you during one, you were asking to die.

On the opposite side of the wide room, a door slid open slowly. Ryusei turned, grinning. "Alright, let's see – huh?"

Cashim raised an eyebrow as the unit began its attack. "Interesting, Doctor."

Leonard nodded. "That isn't half of what it can do, of course, and there are still a few kinks to iron out – oh, there goes the head – but once it's complete…"

"It's enough to keep Ryu on his toes as it is now. Quite impressive."

"Ow! Boss, this ain't funny; you were just waiting until I was late to make me fight this, weren't ya?"

The masked soldier let out, if not a smile, then something reasonably close.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Angelo Corporation Penthouse – 0748 Hours**

"I must say, you're a hard woman to get a hold of, Miss Benz-Vito. I usually prefer to meet people in person, you know."

"_Um, yes, Mister Angelo, as do I," _Mercedes said from the other side of the screen, managing to sound nervous with more than a planet's distance between her and the man, _"but something suddenly came up, and well…" _she coughed pathetically. _"Erm, how exactly did the, ah…"_

Quattro leaned forward. "How did the Logia turn out, you mean? Oh, quite well. Until it was destroyed of course." He smiled serenely. "I seem to recall you saying something about that."

The archaeologist squirmed. _"Y-yes, I did, didn't I…but you know, Mister Angelo, Belkan phrasing can have any number of meanings-"_

"Which I would have been most interested to hear when I first hired you." He tapped the side of his disc a little, watching Mercedes try to stammer out an explanation for that, too. Well, he didn't have quite enough time for that. There _were _only twenty-four hours in a day, after all. "So what I'm hearing from you is that the artefact wasn't claimed to be invincible at all, yes? I don't really like being lied to, Miss Benz-Vito."

"_I, I didn't _lie_, Mister Angelo. M-merely gave my own interpretation on the passage." _She had enough pride to sound vaguely offended at that, at least.

He leaned back. "I see. In that case, might I hear it again? I'm afraid it slipped my mind."

Mercedes nodded quickly. _"Yes, I-I thought you might want to, I have it right here…" _Hurriedly she flipped open the note and began reading, only a hint of a quaver in her voice.

"_He who would awaken what slumbers behind this gateway, beware: should it rise again, no steel nor magic, no bolt nor fire shall put it to rest once more. To those who would desire its power, beware."_

Quattro nodded. "Yes, I remember now. Suitably ominous, do you think? The Belkans always seemed to have such a fascination with melodrama, if you ask me."

She didn't laugh, partly because it wasn't a joke, and mostly because she had been at the excavation site personally. There was no describing how to him, but the feeling in that chamber had been worse than any booby trap could manage. _"I'm sure you can see how that would be open to interpretation, no? I merely chose the one most-"_

"Profitable for you?" he asked innocently. Her mouth snapped shut as he continued. "Thank you, Miss Benz-Vito. You've been very informative. Good-bye."

Before she could sputter out anything else, he had terminated the connection. The stupid woman would probably be looking over her shoulder for the next week; what could be better retribution than that? It wasn't as if he couldn't make the money back in that amount of time. And in a way, going back to the drawing board was its own reward for him.

He settled back to do some paperwork. After a while, a shiver came over him. "I'm sure I left that window shut…" Quattro muttered, turning.

A pair of glowing red eyes filled his vision.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Headquarters, Officer's Quarters hallway – 0815 Hours**

"_Why am I doing this, again?"_

Anton wasn't many things, but he was a morning person, and breakfast was the most important meal of the day after all. Unfortunately, not everyone shared his attitude, including his captain. Which might be why he was taking hers up to her right now.

Stopping in front of the door, he adjusted his load and knocked politely.

"I'm decent."

He sighed, and opened the door. What was inside wasn't what Anton had expected, but he'd also expected that to begin with. Alyssa was lying back on her bed, head propped up on one arm, lining up a shot at a dartboard on the opposite wall. That wouldn't be odd by itself, except for what was on it: a picture of a red-head with blue eyes smiling brightly, her hair in a pony-tail. As he watched, a dart barely hit the girl in the chin. A few others were nearby, most on the wall to either side of her.

"Just put it on my desk." she said sullenly, picking up another dart.

Anton frowned, but walked over, half-expecting her to toss it on the way. Putting the tray down, his curiosity overcame him. "Uh-"

Alyssa swivelled an eye toward him. "If you want to know why she's on my dart-board, just ask. It's a free planet."

He couldn't help laughing at that. "Was it that obvious? But, um, you have to admit it's surprising - I don't think you would find too many people throwing darts at Nanoha Takamachi."

Apparently that had been a bad thing to say. His captain rose, glaring at him like he'd just insulted every fibre of her being. "Yeah, of course. Hating a hero just isn't allowed, is it?"

Her voice was spiteful, maybe even worse than when she'd been talking about her siblings. "S-so you know her personally, then?"

Oops again. "So I'm only allowed if I know her, is that right? Maybe I just don't like her."

"…why not?" Anton asked. Well, he was already in the thick of it.

Alyssa pointed an accusing finger straight at him. "'cause of that, right there. You can't think of any reason to not like _her_, can you?"

He felt like a bug under a magnifying glass. "Tha, that's not true. Nobody's perfect, right?"

"Okay," she leaned back and gestured toward the dartboard, "go ahead: tell me one bad thing about her. Hell, tell me one bad _rumor _about her."

Wondering if this really shouldn't be happening to someone else, Anton's mind searched through itself feverishly. That was what the Langsleys did after all, and she had to be exaggerating a little, right? Anything to stop her looking at him like that.

"…um, she works too hard?"

His captain didn't even bother to look disappointed. "Yeah, thanks. You can go now." She picked up the dart again.

Anton looked miserable. "Alyssa-"

"Something else you want?"

He didn't need a neon sign to tell he wasn't wanted.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Angelo Corporation Penthouse – 0820 Hours**

"…yes, the reinforced steel model, please…perhaps with a bit less steel this time, if possible. Yes, that will be fine, thank you very much."

Putting the phone down, Quattro looked across his ruined office. Papers had blown everywhere, the coach was bent in half, books were scatted everywhere, and holes had been punched in the plaster. It was like all the tabloid stories about him had suddenly come true. "I'm not quite sure all of that was necessary, Barnes."

"Right, Boss." said the familiar, not taking his eyes off what was sitting in the corner.

"Throwing the door, for instance, might have been a bit much. Although I suppose you'd already had it off the hinges to start with."

Behind Barnes, Katie raised a finger, adding: "And after only two hits, too; impressive what bru-loyalty can do, isn't it?"

Quattro nodded. "Quite right; remind me to look at your pay later, Barnes." He looked toward the corner. "Now, what shall we do about this…peculiarity?"

The gargoyle sat hunched in the corner of the office, staring at nothing in particular. Or had been; when the CEO moved its gaze snapped right over to him. Barnes let out a low growl, but his master silenced him with a raised hand. "I may not have either of your talents, but I trust my own eyes, and I am certain this statue was destroyed."

He took a tentative step forward. The logia's eyes followed him, but it didn't move. "And yet here it stands, intact as the day it was uncovered. If I had to guess, perhaps regeneration is one of its functions. With that in mind…"

His two associates tensed up as he reached out a hand, but it wasn't necessary. The statue accepted his pat almost like a dog, crouching down further and waiting expectantly. "It should still recognize me as its master. Why else would it be here now?"

Turning, Quattro smiled. "I suppose it was a net profit after all: splendid."

"That's nice." Barnes said, even if he didn't seem to think so. "Are you going to call that archaeologist back, then?"

"It's been over an hour, Barnes – I doubt she's anywhere near a phone by _now_."

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Secretary's Office – 0834 Hours**

Anton looked up in surprise as a polite knock came from outside. It probably said a lot when he'd gotten used to _not _hearing that. "Come in."

It was Arturia. "Anton, here is some more work for you. The Major thought my hands looked free when we passed in the hallway.

He sighed. "Does he just generate it somehow? Well, put it in the in pile, I'll get to it as soon as I can."

The knightess did, but suddenly leaned forward when she was at his desk, studying him closely. An expression of concern had appeared on her face. "Anton, is something wrong?" she asked as the secretary quickly scooted his chair backward. "You seem troubled."

"Troubled?" he repeated. Of course he probably had been, but was it that obvious? Chock it up to those knight instincts, he supposed. "Well, maybe a little. It's about Captain Alyssa-"

"_Ah_." Arturia murmured, nodding knowingly. "I might have known. What did she say, if I may inquire?"

It was a perfectly innocent question, and spoken politely, but her gaze pinned him to the chair. Saying a silent apology about whatever came next, he said, "Well, I went into her room, and she was throwing darts at-"

The acolyte sighed, shaking her head. "I am hardly surprised. She simply cannot let that go."

Anton frowned. "I figured there was more to it than that."

"Oh, of course," Arturia said sharply, the thought of the captain giving her tongue a deadly edge, "but that woman would not admit it to a soul, even one she has taken a liking to. She may claim she has forgotten the past, but do not believe it for a moment. Honestly, I-"

The wind mage stood up. "Lieutenant, sorry, but I'm not really interested in what you think of her right now. Just tell me what the problem is, please."

She hadn't been expecting that, he could tell, but then again neither had he. "Very well, then," the fair-headed woman said, hiding her surprise with grace, "it is quite simple, really. During the Triad's arrest, all three of his children defeated many who were involved in it, to make no mention of the man himself. Subduing each of them was an Ace's duty, and for Alyssa that Ace-"

"-was Nanoha Takamachi." finished Anton. Sighing, he sat back down. "I think I get the picture."

Arturia nodded. "Indeed. You might say that without her, she would not be a captain in the Bureau today." She sniffed. "The thought of it must gnaw at her quite often. It would be best to stay out of her way for the rest of today, Anton. She will forget it soon enough."

He frowned. "That's your answer, then? Don't you care at all?"

"I did, at first." she replied, looking somewhat offended at the accusation. "But even as a knight, I cannot help someone if they do not wish to help themselves. I have told her many times to speak with Miss Takamachi and resolve this, but she is adamant. I see no need to try forcing the matter."

"But you're her lieutenant…"

The young woman spread her arms and shrugged. "Indeed. But I cannot force someone to change their minds on a matter, nor would I do so if I were able. It is an answer she has been unable to find for many years – what use could someone who has known her a mere few months be? But if you wish to try, I will wish you luck."

Anton stared. "That's an awfully defeatist attitude for a knight, isn't it?"

Her face suddenly wasn't as kind as it had been a moment before. "…please do not talk about things you know nothing of, Anton." With that she turned, marching out of the closet.

"_Great," _he thought, slumping back down, _"just Ace and GD left, and I'll have made _everyone _in my squad mad at me."_

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Library – 0850 Hours**

"Daniel…Daniel, get the hell up, seriously…DANIEL!"

The pint-sized librarian sat bolt upright, hand going up instinctively to rub at the sudden bruise he'd gotten. "Wha, what, what's happening?"

Of all the unpleasant things a person could see first when they woke up, an annoyed-looking Jeanne was pretty high on the list. In answer, she stepped aside to reveal a small, mousy-looking man standing behind her. "I found him loitering around the lobby. It took nearly five minutes to get that he was a friend of yours out of him." Her tone suggested someone was going to have to pay for those five minutes.

Daniel groaned. Those fogged up classes, that slouch, the almost perpetual state of mid-cringe…he suppressed a sigh. He'd known the guy was in the city, but still, why today? "Hi, Buggy. What's up?"

Buggy Barrows, star-gazer by trade if not career, was a long-time acquaintance of his. Technically long enough that they should be friends, but Daniel's personal definition of friend didn't include someone like him. Alyssa thought Anton was kind of a wimp – hah! Showed you how much some people knew. He'd seen Buggy get freaked out by poodles, and take detours around groups of kids.

"H-hi, Daniel." He sniffed. "Um…I, uh…"

He waited, trying to ignore the look Jeanne was giving him now. Getting a clear sentence out of Buggy could sometimes take a little bit. "You wanted to tell us something, man?"

His head snapped up into a nod. "Yes, yes I did. I was star-gazing late last night you know – nothing illegal, of course!"

"When we make a law against that, I'll make sure you're the first to know." Daniel realized the wording of that a second later, hurriedly adding, "A joke, that was a joke!"

Buggy sniffed again. "R-right…anyway, I was looking at one of Gardius' moons, with my magic, and all of a sudden…" He paused.

Daniel waited for a moment, drumming his fingers on the desk. "And?"

"Crash!" the stargazer brought his hands together in a loud clap. "There was a cave-in under the surface, like an explosion had gone off!"

The librarian and his captain shared a glance over the top of Buggy's head. "Why don't you tell me where you saw this, Bugsy…"

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Streets Outside Section Thirteen Headquarters – 0906 Hours**

If there was ever an occasion for Buggy Barrows to hold his head hi – _not down_, he did it now, humming a tune as he strolled back to his apartment. It would carry him through the day, surely!

As he turned the corner to the next street, Buggy didn't seem to notice the black stretch limo with the tinted windows turning to follow him. This obliviousness continued until it pulled up next to him with a sudden burst of speed, a hand shot out, and he disappeared inside.

The mousy little man blinked, wondering where the man in front of him and the hard pressure on his arm had come from all of a sudden.

"Good morning, friend," Quattro said with a smile, "I was wondering if you might satisfy a sudden curiosity of mine…"

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Meeting Room – 0931 Hours**

"Back to the grind yet again, eh?" Alyssa muttered not-very under her breath as she came through the door, sitting near Anton without glancing in his direction. The frown she got from Arturia in return was equally ignored.

Major Destin glanced at her sharply. "No time for joking today, Alyssa; this is serious." A serious tone coming from him was more than enough to catch her attention. He tapped a few buttons under the table, and a projection of space around Gardius filled the room. "A little less than a half hour ago, a friend-"

"Acquaintance."

"-whatever, of Daniel's informed us about a cave-in on one of this planet's moons. I took the liberty of checking a satellite's footage near the time he said, and he was right. It was subtle, but there was definitely some kind of collapse there. But that could only happen if there was something major for it to cave in _to_."

"So you think we have some moon-looters, then?" Dwight murmured with a frown. "Seems a bit far-fetched to me. What's even up there to take?"

Daniel whistled. "Like you wouldn't believe. Planetary warfare was big back in the Belkan days, and moons like that were huge advantages. They could be used for pretty much anything: turrets, shields, even just front-line bases. Better to fight them there instead of on the planet, right?" He shrugged. "'course, when they were seriously damaged, the enemy had usually already won. Not that it was much fun taking over a flooded world."

"We had already investigated a few of the ones surrounding Gardius before you arrived, Anton, but found nothing." Arturia explained. "Apparently this one was the remaining trove, or so they must think."

Destin held up a hand. "Of course, this is all just speculation. But even if it is just the possibility, we can't ignore it. I think a scout team is in order."

"I'm in," Alyssa said, "I can fly, and I'm the fastest one here who can."

Arturia stared at the red-head for a moment before giving Destin a nod. "If my captain is going, I suppose I must as well."

Daniel tried to ignore Jeanne's stare as long as he could, but gave in and sighed. "Guess I don't have a choice, right? Not like you'll get far without proper expertise anyway."

"You're a sweetheart, Trail."

A quiet voice spoke up next. "I would like to go with Daniel." All eyes went toward Otavi, and it was clear to everyone that that was what was going to happen.

Anton cleared his throat. "Well, I-"

Before he could say anything more, a red eye swivelled toward him. **"Statement: with respect, Anton, more than this amount in a scouting mission would be counterproductive."**

"What he said," Alyssa added, not looking in his direction, "you're better off staying home."

"...A-alright, then." the wind mage said, shrinking.

Destin nodded. "Well, that settles that. I'll let the Doctor know to prep the transport chamber for you four. Everyone else, stay on alert – you never know, right?

No, you never could.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius? – Location Unknown – 0940 Hours**

The saying went that there was an opposite side to every coin, a counterpart to every situation or story imaginable. This was certainly true, but you never found many people talking about how that must apply to _every _situation – like meetings.

"I swear to the Kaiser, Cypher, whoever's responsible for getting me up is about to be very unlucky, so I'll hope for your sake its not you."

Leonard frowned as he sat down across from Grace. "I'll never understand that, you know. What is there here to stay up late for?"

"It's one of the only things I get to decide for myself, these days."

On the other side of the screen that split the two scientists, Cypher watched impassively before he finally spoke. _"There is trouble. Section Thirteen has acquired knowledge of the cave-in at our moon dig site."_

"That's it?" Grace asked after a moment. "Have we even found anything worthwhile up there?"

"A few articles," Leonard said, adjusting his glasses, "but it's mostly being used for extra storage. And there-in lies the problem."

Cypher nodded. _"If they find evidence of our work, not ideal. Must remove remaining evidence. Quickly."_

The old man pursed his lips. "That…could be a problem, Cypher. Most of it is just equipment, but there are also-"

"_A bunch of Bureau meddlers interfering with _my _work?" _A rush of feathers came down from above. _"Unacceptable!"_

Leonard nearly jumped out of his chair, while Grace merely turned to regard the fourth member of their little quartet as he landed on the back of his chair. The great bird of prey fiddled with its wings as the collar around its neck let out another crackle. _"Gentlemen, I see you are well. Grace, you look as lovely as always."_

She rolled her eyes whilst the other scientist realigned himself in his seat. "So those monsters of yours are more trouble than they're worth again, K? I can't say I'm surprised. It seems like they're always doing just as much damage to us, maybe more."

A contemptuous harrumph came from the speaker. _"I would not expect a mere tinkerer to understand the true value of my work."_

"True value!? You-"

"_Irrelevant." _Cypher's voice cut through them like an arrow. _"All that matters is disposal."_

The bird spread lowered one wing in a gracious bow. _"Indeed. Though they may be my creations, it would not do for them to endanger our mission. You have my permission to destroy them, if need be."_

The agent's glasses honed in on it like a laser. _"Did not require it."_

Leonard frowned. He could act as genial as he wanted, but everyone here knew what kind of man Doctor K was. If he and Grace were amoral, then he was truly repugnant. It was anyone's guess how Cypher had found him – the man's trail stretched back further than an entire crowd's arms, and if even a quarter of the rumors about him were true there was almost no criminal organization or agenda that didn't owe something to him. Often-times that included its destruction, save for him.

As for his field of expertise…he suppressed a shudder thinking about some of them. Give him a pile of wires and servos any day.

He blinked as Cypher turned toward him. _"Unit One and Two, prepared?"_

"Hm? Oh, yes, I just completed the finishing touches on the latter earlier. But Cashim has some reservations-"

"_Am aware. Have them ready for deployment, soon." _His eyes flickered across the table. _"A distraction would be ideal."_

Grace smiled happily. "I thought you'd think so. I think a certain businessman would be interested in hearing about an opportunity like this, assuming he hasn't found out already."

Cypher nodded. _"Have shipment of Vanguard units prepared for him. Anything else?" _None of the three replied. _"Do it." _The connection was cut.

"_Well, if nothing else demands my attention," _Doctor K said as his bird took wing, _"then I shall be going. I am nearing a breakthrough in my latest project, and it seems my specimens will be at a net loss after today, alas…"_

"Time to make the pretty-boy do our dirty work again, I suppose." said the blonde as she rose. "I'm sure there's something shiny around that he'll want to take."

After the two had left, Leonard remained, a trouble expression on his face. _"Well, she isn't going to like this." _He shrugged. _"But I only made the thing, after all. It's not _my _fault."_

** 0**

**Planet Gardius? – Location Unknown – 0944 Hours**

As the transmission was cut, Cypher sat back in his chair, silent for the moment. "Dissatisfied with decision?" he asked quietly.

From where she stood near the wall, Cashim nodded. "Speaking honestly, I can't say I do. Ryusei is strong, but he's not skilled enough yet to fight with their Aces."

"Have said so many times," he agreed, "but will happen sooner or later. His talents are required now." Swivelling the chair toward her, he stared. "Feel a kinship with him. Understandable. But ultimately, both of you have a duty to perform."

"Of course," she said without hesitation, "this is my role, and I've never complained. But he's younger than I. Far younger."

Cypher's stare didn't waver. "True. Unfortunate situation, certainly. But do you intend to fight alone forever? Perhaps more ready than you think."

Cashim made for the door. "To tell the truth, that's part of what I'm worried about." She turned, and the mask met his opaque lenses. "But I'll go tell him at once."

His gaze followed her out the door, and the room fell into silence.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Angelo Corporation Penthouse – 0950 Hours**

"So, Section Thirteen may be going on another mission soon." Quattro murmured as he sat down. "They're working too hard, if you ask me. Quite a piece of valuable information – it's a shame the young man ran before I could compensate him."

Barnes shrugged. "You gave him the exercise, at least. I'm not even sure I could run that fast for that long."

When a third voice didn't chime in, he turned to regard Katie flipping idly through a newspaper from the last week. "Uh…"

In answer, she slapped a section of it down on the table, grinning. "I think I know what we're going to do today~" she sang.

Rolling his eyes, Barnes picked the page up and handed it to Quattro. His eyes lit up when he saw what was on it. "Ah, this…I had felt a bit bad about overshadowing it, you know." It was a story about a local museum that had recently opened in Gardius. Although it held a few pieces from local and off-world artists, its main feature was artifacts from the Belkans that had once made their home here.

"Stealing from a museum? Creative, Katie, certainly. But according to this, the functions of most of the artifacts are yet unknown."

The lightning triad nodded. "True, but it's always nice to have a trump card ready, isn't it? I've read that the excavation into the ruins they've found has progressed very well lately. Who knows: one of those could be the key to their castle. With the team split up from this, there's no reason not to take the chance."

Quattro paused for a moment, pursing his lips. "True, it could be quite a boon later on. And with our new friend around," he nodded to the gargoyle currently hunched in the corner, eliciting a scowl from Barnes, "sending both of you out won't be as much of a problem. Yes, a wonderful idea."

Barnes nodded. "Well, if that's settled…" he stared at an empty patch of carpet. "You can come out now, I'd say."

"_I'll have to find a way to beat your nose someday, Mr. Barnes." _Grace said through the droid as it uncloaked. _"Good day, Mr. Angelo."_

The boss smiled. "Ah, I thought you might appear at some point, my friend. The usual package of 'bots, then? Hold the War Armors this time, I think."

Katie pouted. "And here I thought you were leaving it up to us."

Quattro smiled like a cat. "I _am _still a businessman, mind."

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Headquarters, Teleport Chamber – 1011 Hours**

It would be foolish to assume the duties of every Bureau base would take place on the actual planet, with the current age being what it was. But at the same time, Bureau ships were too valuable to give to everyone with how much territory there was to oversee. As a compromise, Section Thirteen and others had been given specialized equipment, designed to send officers to the exact coordinates of their destination. The only downside was it had to be calibrated with extreme care, to avoid them being transported into say, a wall.

While Forrester made these adjustments, the members of the scout sat around killing time; Arturia was meditating in preparation, Daniel flipping through a book of his on the local Belkans, Alyssa tapping her foot and humming, and Otavi…well, just sort of sitting around. The captain looked up as the door opened, and Dwight walked in.

"So, just about ready to go, then?" he asked, smiling.

"Yeah…" Alyssa said, a suspicious frown creasing her mouth. "You want something, Dwight? The rest of you guys are supposed to be on standby, if I remember."

He laughed, scratching the back of his head. "Yep, pretty obvious, right? I wanted to ask a favour: take me along with you."

She stared. "Uh, I know Jeanne's kind of a hard-ass, but I'm not sure going to the _moon _is the better deal."

"N-no, not that, I just-"

Alyssa shrugged. "Hey, none of my business. Just don't throw me under the bus when she finds out, okay?"

Off to the side, Forrester raised his head. "I'll just prepare a fifth passenger, then? And that goes triple for me, incidentally."

It took a few minutes more, but finally the old man looked up and nodded. "Alright, I've set it for near where that supposed cave-in occurred. I suggest you put your barrier jackets on, unless you'd prefer warping into instant suffocation.

They didn't really need any more incentive than that. When they were all assembled on the raised dias, he typed in a few more commands and pressed the large red button on the console's front. "Here's hoping you come back in one piece, literally!"

"Cheery." Alyssa said before they all vanished in a flash.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius? – Location Unknown, Teleport Hangar – 1013 Hours**

"Seriously?" Ryusei asked, his eyes and teeth practically sparkling. "I finally get to go with you, boss?"

Cashim stared back, frowning underneath her mask. "If you can keep that attitude under control, then yes." She held up a hand quickly. "And I will remind you, this is _not _a combat mission. You're only to engage the enemy if it becomes absolutely necessary."

"Right, right, move the stuff, herd the animals, whatever you want! I'm just glad to finally be helping you, boss."

His earnestness couldn't help but make her crack a smile. "Well, you will. There are some things up there that I certainly can't lift. Of course, you can't either; not by yourself."

Grinning, he gestured toward what Leonard was finishing the last adjustments on. "I've been in the simulations for that thing so long it'll fit like a glove, boss."

'That' was a large, humanoid machine silently crouched in front of the teleporters. A closer glance would show it wasn't a machine at all, however, but a hollow suit of armor, open at the front to admit a passenger. Its blue and white frame almost resembled a knight ready for battle, and compared to the Vanguard soldiers it looked one of a kind. Which it was: the prototype for a project that would offer a much-needed breakthrough in protection for mages the Bureau over – the METEOR Armor. It had been quite the innovative idea from Cypher. But then, that was his job.

"It's as ready as it will ever be, Ryusei. Take it for 'a whirl', as the saying goes."

"Try not to break it, either." came Lacerta's voice from behind them.

He was too happy to bother with an insult. Running up in front of the armor, he spread his arms and backed into it. Recognizing its registered wearer, the clamps present in the legs and arms snapped securely over his limbs, the front swinging shut to cover him completely soon after. With a hum, the systems inside began to start up. The METEOR Armor was designed to fulfill all the basic functions of a device, but with far more practical protection. Systems and abilities made to counter or dispel magic were on the rise, but Leonard would be truly amazed if they could make a few hundred pounds worth of armor disappear.

Ryusei stood up, the armor accepting the movement as smooth as clockwork. He clenched one fist, a reddish glow coming over it briefly, and nodded. _"Awesome. _Better_ than awesome, Doc! I feel like I could beat anyone in this thing!" _

Ignoring that, Cashim prepared the teleporters. Unlike Section Thirteen's, this one only went to one location, so even she could operate it. "You two will go on ahead, and I'll follow after."

"_Yeah, we'll…_two_?" _Ryusei turned and nearly jumped a few feet in the air (not an exaggeration) when he saw the robot that had somehow snuck up right next to him. He recognized it immediately: the unit that had been the cat to his mouse just a few hours ago. It looked more like the Vanguards than the suit he wore, but more slender and…well, girlier, like whoever made the thing had had gender in mind the whole time.

The machine swivelled its head toward him. _"You look like someone spat in your eye, Ryusei."_

Only one person could talk to him with that kind of acid tongue. _"Lacerta?" _He turned around to see the computer jockey wearing something similar to what Doctor Grace wore when she was controlling that messenger bot. The girl raised one hand, and the robot mimicked the movement right down to finger placement.

"_You didn't imagine they'd send you up there alone, did you? Naturally, I'll be coming along via Unit Comet here, to make certain you don't break something." _Both machine and human stared at him. _"Do you have a problem with that?"_

Ryusei made a mental command, and the helmet slid open. "Do I? You'd better believe that I-" A third stare hit the back of his skull. "…don't."

"_Splendid." _Unit Comet started forward. _"Shall we be going, then?" _

Grumbling under his breath, he followed, replacing the helmet as he did. Once they were on the pad, their commander tapped in a few last commands. "Good luck, you two. And…try to get along, please."

The pair (or at least one half of it) disappeared in a flash of light, sending them off on their path: one of inevitable conflict.

_To be continued…_

_Next time, Katie and Barnes begin their heist of the museum, while Ryusei and Lacerta try to cover their group's tracks on the moon. Section Thirteen is split up, and has to deal with both these threats divided. Both Anton and Alyssa are distracted by the feelings their conversation dredged up – will they be able to push past them and win the day?_

_The only way to tell is to read the next chapter, Break In, Break Out._

_Until next time, see you, readers, and Merry Christmas. And if it's not too much trouble, could I ask for a few more reviews? I haven't had any for a fair few chapters now – don't want to make me lonely, do you?_


	12. Break In, Break Out

**Section Thirteen**

**Chapter Eleven: Break In, Break Out**

**Planet Gardius? – Location Unknown, Teleport Hangar – 1016 Hours**

"And, that should just…about do it." Leonard said with a breath of effort, snapping on the last of the equipment Cashim needed to traverse the moon. Having the air tank be vulnerable to attack was unacceptable, necessitating bulkier armor while still maintaining comfort and mobility. Equipping humans had always been more difficult for him than robots, but if there was any human closest to a machine, it was Cashim. She had waited without complaint, and now nodded.

"Thank you, Doctor."

The old man leaned on his cane and smiled. "Oh, don't mention it." He stole a glance at his daughter, who was still in the same place as she'd been about five seconds ago. "When will you be heading up?"

Cashim considered this. "Twenty minutes to a half hour, sooner if they run into trouble. I don't expect them to become friends, but civility while on missions is something they'll have to learn."

Leonard nodded. "Yes, of course…" He looked toward Lacerta again, still silently controlling her unit.

"I think she'll be fine here, Doctor." the soldier said, not unkindly. "I'll need you up in the computer room, please."

Another nod, this one hurried. "O-oh, of course." He made for the door. "Right away, yes."

Cashim was well aware the old man was scared of her, and had often thought about something to say to reassure him on that. Nothing came to mind, or at least, nothing honest. This was Cypher's operation, after all.

Once he had left, she sat back and waited. Not many people could relax in heavy armor, but she had learned to get sleep anywhere it could be found.

With the only other occupant of the room focused on other things, she was free to think ahead. Let's see…the distraction Doctor Shuffle had planned should be going into effect now, if it hadn't already.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Streets outside Museum – 1015 Hours**

"My, would you look at that?" Katie said, peaking out from where they were hiding near the front door. "Someone must not think the police here are very good at their jobs."

Barnes nodded. "They've been there ever since this place started getting exhibits actually worth anything."

'They' were a pair of specially contracted guards posted at the museum's entrance, watching anyone who came in with a hawk's eye. Anyone who looked remotely suspicious were reported and searched. Not that she qualified of course, but that was the trouble with bringing dear Barnes along. Two more of the guards were patrolling around back, and several others were inside. All of them were skilled, and if you felt like playing fair, getting in when they didn't want you to would be a handful.

Just as well, then.

Unlike Cashim, Katie never spared much thought toward what the best time for things was. If you could do something now, why later? Raising her arm above her head, she sent a short bolt of lightning into the air.

The guards raised their heads toward the lightning, devices primed. But while their training had probably prepared them for a lot of things, a horde of robots descending from the rooftops wasn't one of them.

Oh well.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Section Thirteen Heqaduarters, Garage – 1017 Hours**

Not every deployment required something as grand as the helicopter, and Section Thirteen had a few other vehicles on hand for driving. Nothing as flashy or durable as their air transport, of course, but they could get from point A to point B with them easily enough. Anton currently leaned up against a six-seater jeep, listening to Captain Stromhold take a call. It didn't sound good.

"Alright, sir, please calm down…that wasn't a request, sir, I don't like being yelled at this early in the day. Yes, alright sir. We'll be down there soon, just keep your head down."

Jeanne shoved the receiver down, probably a tad harder than was necessary, and walked over. "Alright, kids, field trip time. Pack of 'bots just broke into the museum, bold as you like, and I doubt they're there for sight-seeing. Hop in; the ride might be a little bumpy."

Anton held back a snort. After Alyssa last night, the only ride he might think of as bumpy was one out of a cannon. Something occurred to him just then, however. "Seems like a big coincidence they'd try to do it right now, though." He muttered, buckling in.

Jeanne caught his eye in the rear-view mirror. "We can save paranoia for later. Right now we have a job to do, alright?"

"Uh, right."

Next to him, Ace cracked his knuckles eagerly. "Either way, they've got another thing coming if they think they can get away with it. Right, Sarge?"

The gadget drone had always had problems with seat-belts. GD currently sat in an odd crouch, hands locked onto the head-rest of the seat in front of him. He nodded. **"Assessment: there is a distinct probability, Corporal Spade."**

"Yeah, exactly…I think."

Jeanne bit down on her cigarette. "Scintillating." She gunned the engine.

** 0**

**Gardius' Moon – Surface – 1016 Hours**

Teleporting was never exactly a fun experience, but doing it into a place with no air was even worse. A properly tuned device could compensate for that quickly (quickly enough so that you didn't suffocate, anyway) by generating its own atmosphere, but there was always that awful moment when no air was coming into your lungs. It lasted way too long.

Plus, the air Bowie made always made her throat itch for an hour afterward. Alyssa turned to watch as the others finished warping in. _"Alright, no-one got their foot caught in the ground? Cool."_

Arturia gave her a cold stare. _"Very amusing." _She looked down toward Daniel. _"Librarian, did the cave-in take place nearby? I assume you can discern such things."  
_

"_Depends. Can you keep anything from ripping my head off as a greeting while I do it? This isn't someplace I want to take chances in."_

She nodded. "Nothing will lay a hand on you. I swear it on-"

"Your sword arm, I hope," Daniel interrupted, "otherwise it's not really all that relevant." Despite the snarking though, this seemed to reassure him somewhat. He took a tentative few steps forward, and when nothing exploded under them raised Lithic and stuck him into the crust.

"Hmm." The digger hummed as the report came back to him. "Not more than a few minutes' walk that way." He frowned. "Be careful where you step, though. This whole area's been subject to drilling – whoever's down there, they've been here for a while. If they know we're coming…"

Dwight cocked Gates, shaking his head. "No need to be paranoid. If there's a trap, we'll just be careful, that's all."

Daniel gave him a look. "Don't knock paranoia, Dwight. It's kept me alive more times than you can count."

** 0**

**Gardius' Moon – Underground – 1017 Hours**

"_Alright, this way, this way, keep 'em coming…what are you guys doing, gimme that!" _

Two Vanguards almost fell over as Ryusei yanked the crate out of their hands, dumping it unceremoniously onto the teleporter. _"There, was that so hard?"_

He might have been complaining (and hey, who wouldn't a little, having this as their first job?), but it was going fast. The vanguards kinda sucked at fighting, but they could carry stuff around pretty well. That was something, right?

Still, as quick as this was going, they probably hadn't even gone through half the stuff here yet. And that was just what they could carry – he knew part of the reason he'd been picked for this was to make sure no-one could use the heavy equipment at _all _if they couldn't. Oh yeah, and they had to-

"_The units sent to collect Doctor K's experiments have been destroyed." _Lacerta said calmly, over just a twinge of disgust. _"I knew that they wouldn't be cooperative." _Her unit moved toward the chamber's exit

"_Hey, where you-"_

It didn't even turn around. _"I will go deal with them. His experiments have been useless thus far, and he has not cared about their well-being before now. Section Thirteen may examine their bodies as much as they like, if that suits them. Remain here, and continue the moving: I will not be long."_

Instantly, he opened his mouth to take back, but held his tongue at the last moment. The boss wanted them to get along, right? _"Sure you don't need any help?"_

"_I cannot imagine why that would be."_

…but some leaders had a way of asking a bit too much.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Street Outside Museum – 1019 Hours**

As the jeep screeched to a halt in front of their destination and the two organic subordinates slithered out, Anton made a silent vow never to assume anything about anyone's driving, ever again. It had been…well, there just weren't any words for it. _"N-next time, I'm driving, I don't care what they say. There are some things a guy shouldn't have to do…" _Even Ace looked a little shaken.

Jeanne was nearby, speaking to a member of the local police; the three hurried over.

"…from what we can tell," he was saying, "they've dug in there pretty well. There's been no word about the people inside, or any hostage statements: hell, we don't even know who's behind this."

"Hm." she grunted. "They're covering the door, I'm guessing."

The captain barely waited for him to nod yes before making for the entrance. "Thanks for your time. The three of you, follow me."

The officer stared wide-eyed as Jeanne made straight for the closed double doors. They'd tried that earlier, and had two of their men nearly put into the hospital for it, caution be damned. Sure, she was supposed to be good, but… "Uh, there's probably a back ent-"

"I don't _take _back entrances."

Personally, Anton would have been fine taking the most rear entrance possible. But he followed her up the stairs regardless.

He expected Jeanne to use an area search or other similar spell, but she held up a hand for quiet, then put her ear up to the door. Anton blinked, but realized quickly: a method like that still stood less of a chance of alerting them than magic.

After a moment she straightened up. _"I don't hear anything – which isn't all that surprising, they'd have to be deaf not to hear a car driving up. They're probably all covering the door right now."_

"…_then why are we going through it?" _Anton asked, feeling like an idiot for asking.

It didn't help when Ace even raised an eyebrow. _"Well, because-"_

He was cut off by the sharp vreem of a bolt-head's rifle from inside the building, pulverizing the door into a very expensive cloud of planks and splinters. More shots followed it, and they ended their flight the same way as the debris: a wall of water thrown up by Jeanne. More shots came, going through the walls at angles; they too were stopped as she expanded the wall into half of a dome. When the barrage ended, none of them had been harmed.

"**Statement: it would appear they now have some method of intercepting our communications, Captain Stromhold."**

Jeanne gave him a look of _something_, but it definitely wasn't surprise. "Oh, is that it. For a second I thought I'd just blurted it out-loud." She chewed on her cigarette, looking at Anton. "That a good enough reason for you, Langsley?"

"Um – yeah."

"Peachy." The rescue worker held up three fingers. "On my count – and yeah, Langsley, that means we're going in."

Anton flinched. He hadn't noticed his eyes widening himself, actually.

One finger came down. "One." Another. "Two." And… "THREE!"

The door was locked; Jeanne kicked it right in.

** 0**

**Gardius' Moon – Site of the Cave-In – 1019 Hours**

"And, this is it."

Alyssa had to whistle, even if she was the only one that could hear it. It was almost picturesque, even if it was an event that could crush you like a grape.

What had once been a smooth part of the planetoid's surface now sloped downward into a pit about ten feet around, still filled with debris. Whatever – or _who_ever – had been caught in it, they must have been deemed expendable.

Daniel turned to the one member of their team that hadn't yet spoken. Or thought, anyway: that was the only path of communication up here. "Otavi, can you…" He raised an eyebrow as she shook her head. "…yeah, that's right, you can't. No plants up here, huh?"

Arturia frowned as the girl nodded a hesitant yes. "Why did you not tell us this before we left?"

Otavi looked away, which didn't improve her mood. "I believe I asked you a question, you-"

Her voice was cut off by the sharp crack of Daniel striking his device down on the rock. "Lay off her." he said with sudden forcefulness. "It's not like she's helpless, and I can do this myself anyway." Without a word further and before anyone could stop him, he leaped down.

Fortunately the drop was only about five feet, barely a hop for someone wearing a barrier jacket. A few rocks were jostled loose, but nothing exploded, fell, or came out of the ground, which made it a metric ton better than some other drops the digger had made. He looked up. "If they're expecting us to come from somewhere, it won't be from here. Give me a sec, I'll make a hole."

"Need any help?" Alyssa called down.

"Not getting in my way _is _helping."

As she contemplated chucking a fireball down the hole, Dwight crouched, opening up Gates' video radar. Nothing doing; the bedrock here must have been interfering with it. Or maybe something in the bedrock, who could really tell? He caught the captain's eye and waved her over. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I think it might be best if just the three of us went down there. No need to put all our eggs in one basket, right?"

She tapped her foot on the ground, considering it. "So what if we do if you get into trouble? No way we'll be able to fly that fast in those tunnels."

He shrugged. "Hopefully it won't come to that; Daniel knows his stuff when it comes to caves. And if it looks like it will…" the sniper smiled. "Well, I think there might be a lady around who wouldn't mind raising a little hell."

"You know, it's funny, I was thinking the same thing." Grinning, Alyssa walked back to Arturia. "We're on look-out duty, 'tury, so sit tight."

The knight looked like she would protest, but looked away, scowling. Alyssa frowned – usually she'd never miss a chance to talk back to her. Oh well; she'd have to know better than to start it today, right?

She gestured to the hole, and then to Dwight and Otavi. "Head down there once he's done, then, you too. Try not to do anything stupid, alright?"

Not even Daniel smarted off to that. It was a crazy day already – and it was only going to get crazier for her.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius? – Location Unknown, Computer Room – 1021 Hours**

"_Father?"_

Hearing his daughter's voice never failed to cheer him up a bit (even if it was from a professional tone), but Leonard still had to pierce his lips. Depending on what aid Lacerta was going to ask for, he might not be able to give it. The scope of their sensors reached well across Planet Gardius, but the moon was another story. They'd never thought far ahead on the possibility of Section Thirteen finding their work there. Simple hindsight, but that meant they were blind in at least one eye.

He gave up on the sensors for the time being, and switched over to Lacerta's point of view. _"Yes, dear?"_

"_I am not sure that-" _she began, and sighed. _"Could you send all of the unoccupied Vanguard units to head to the location of our cave-in."_

"Er, alright. Why?"

He felt a bit stupid for asking, and even worse when his daughter responded politely. She never took the same tone with him as others. _"If their goal is to infiltrate these tunnels, it is only natural they will do so where they _assume _us to be vulnerable. It is simple logic."_

Her voice always went quite calm when talking about things like that. Always so sure of herself, too…

In any case, he made the keystrokes. "They'll be there soon. But are you sure you'll be alright handling-"

"_That would be irrelevant in any case, since I am not personally there. But I do not intend to let a group of beasts destroy a piece of your work, father."_

That was another thing she was always determined about. "Well, be care – um, do your best?"

She was nice enough not to answer.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Museum Front Hall – 1022 Hours**

"That was…that was _something_, wasn't it?" Anton breathed. He was still standing, but only because he'd be the only one laying on his behind otherwise.

Nearby, Jeanne nudged a discarded arm from a thrashed droid, eyes sweeping the room. "You alright, Langsley?"

He straightened up quick as an arrow. "No – yes ma'am, I certainly am!"

"Huh. Looked like you were panicking a little, during that first charge. Had to pull you under cover once or twice too, if you remember."

"**Confirmation: I can affirm that this indeed-" **GD began, and practically cut off with a record scratch when Jeanne glared at him. That made Ace choke back a laugh that had almost spilled out, too.

She waved a hand at the surroundings. The hall was wide, filled with several exhibits (an unfortunate portion of which were now outside their cases), and had three entrances: two hallways leading off to the left and right, and a staircase leading up to the second floor. After a moment's thought, Jeanne pointed Ace and GD toward the former. "We'll split up here, keep us from getting surrounded. Spade, 782, take your pick, and watch each-other's back. Langsley, you're with me."

Anton saluted on reflex, as the other two made for the right hallway. "Yes ma'am."

She stared. "Right. Just stick close, and try not to…" the captain shrugged. "Just try not to screw up, alright?"

It was blunter than Alyssa might have put it, but he appreciated the honesty. "Guess I should think back to what I did my first night here, huh?"

Jeanne looked unconcerned. "If you think that'll help. A smart mage goes with whatever works, in a situation like this."

"I guess you never met the teacher I had." Anton remarked as they climbed the stairs. "He used to say that a mage of the Bureau should always fight with honor."

"He sounds like an idiot like to me." she said without hesitation. "The worst thing you can do to a cadet is give them that kind of training."

Anton smiled. "I guess that's speaking from experience, right?"

He'd meant it as a joke, but she turned, breathing a plume of smoke up at the ceiling. "Yeah. I _do_."

The young man decided not to ask.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Museum Security Room – 1023 Hours**

"My, my. Now that was just sad. You'd think they wouldn't let someone like him within ten feet of a professional team, wouldn't you, Barnes?"

The familiar said nothing. Working for Quattro, he'd gotten used to seeing what people really meant behind their words, and right now Katie was as unstable as a live bomb. He could see why; losing to a rookie was bad, but it should at least be a tough rookie, right? If it really was just some weakling who'd gotten lucky, what did that say about her?

Not that he was going to say anything about it right now, of course. He wasn't going to play therapist while on the clock, especially to her.

Katie sighed. "Oh well; I suppose at least one thing would come from you not being able to stop him," she jabbed a thumb over her shoulder, "from squealing."

The him in question was the museum's curator, currently trussed up in one corner with a gag in his mouth. He was plump, but you didn't work in a place like this without getting some instincts, even if you couldn't tell them apart from paranoia. He'd be a useful hostage, if Katie felt like playing it smart.

Yeah, right.

Smiling, the girl twirled her knives. "Shall we go for a little hunt, Barnes? I can't imagine those rustbuckets will manage without us."

"_I'm still here, you know." _came a sardonic voice from the other corner. Katie turned and gave the walking speaker a wide sneer.

"And? New models or no, they still don't stand a chance against them from what I've seen. So unless you're going to do something besides standing around, I think I'll take this into my own hands. Come, Barnes."

The familiar uttered a short growl, but followed. The droid – and the person behind it – were left standing silently, oblivious to the curator's moaning.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Computer Room – 1023 Hours**

It was usually quiet here, and in most areas of their base with the work that went on in it, but a squared patch of it had just appeared next to him. He turned, noting the pursed lips, the folded arms.

He'd never really been privy to Grace's personal life, and probably never would, but one tidbit he had managed to pick up was that she didn't like to be called useless, directly or otherwise. She tended to be…rash afterward. "Now, Grace…"

"She wants me to be helpful, does she?" said the biologist to the room in general, not appearing to notice Leonard had said anything. "Alright, then."

That didn't sound good. "Ahem," he said pointedly, "I wonder if you realize you aren't controlling a combat unit at the mo-"

She gave him a look of disdain. "It has arms, and it moves when I do. That's enough for me. Besides, there's something I've wanted to assess personally."

Leonard opened a mouth for a retort, and found that sadly, this logic was quite sound: he'd seen Grace fight before, and to tell the truth she probably didn't even need _two_ arms for it.

And…it was only the one droid. Leonard shrugged. "Well, alright." he said, ignoring how the robot had begun moving for the door even before he'd opened his mouth.

**Gardius' Moon – Teleport Chamber – 1023 Hours**

"_So, you guys find this as boring as I do?" _Ryusei asked, tossing another crate onto the pile. The vanguards said nothing. _"Yeah, didn't think so. Man, I wish-"_

"_Ryusei." _said a calm voice in his ear.

Even if he hadn't actually been slacking off, technically, he still jumped at the call. _"Lacerta!? W-what's up?"_

If she noticed the stammer, she didn't say. _"The officers from Section Thirteen are about to break through at the cave-in. I sent all our available units there, and I want you to-"_

He slammed the suit's hands together, grinning beneath the visor. _"_Now _you're talkin'! I'll be there in a-"_

"_No." _Lacerta cut in with a voice that wouldn't brook any argument. _"I want you to go around from the back entrance, and attack the captain and her lieutenant. Lure them away as far as you can, so they won't interfere. The others will be a simple matter."_

"…" Ryusei knew they'd been sent up here to fight those guys in the worst-case scenario, but something about his partner's voice got to him. _"You sure the boss would want us to-"_

Speak of the devil; their commander's voice crackled across both their channels. _"So long as you're both careful and do the job you were sent there for, I'm fine with it. If you can gain an advantage against the enemy early on, there's no reason not to."_

All this enemy and warfare talk kind of went over his head, but what the boss said went. _"I'll be over there in a flash," _he said with a nod, _"you just hope those droids can last that long, eh?"_

Cutting off the radio, he triggered his suit's jets with a quick thought. Ryusei grinned as he felt the back armor slid up and the engines build up with a whine. He loved this part, always had. He leaped just as they flared on, sending him out of the cave in one second. The low, tight tunnels should have been a problem for any flying mage, but he took them like the back of his hand.

Finally, it was time for his debut. Those two weren't gonna know what hit them.

** 0**

**Gardius' Moon – Site of the Cave-In – 1025 Hours**

"Okay, you'll never get this one. I spy, with my little eye, something that starts-"

"For the last time, I am not playing this game."

Alyssa shrugged, gesturing at the grey landscape around them. "Hey, not my fault there's nothing here to-"

Arturia rounded on her, glaring with the sharpness of an arrow. _"We may," _she hissed, "pass time by focusing on the duty at hand. If that is possible for you."

That had caught the captain off-guard, but the tone made her answer back with glare of her own. "Yeah? Well from what _I've_ seen, you-"

What would have been a very unpleasant event was broken up by Daniel calling from below. "Okay, I've made it as safe as it's gonna get, you two can come down."

Dwight stood up, a bit quickly. "Well, we'll be off then. If something happens, you'll be the first to know. Coming, Otavi?" The girl nodded, and they both hopped down, keeping to the path Daniel had excavated for them. The captain and lieutenant were left by themselves for the moment."

"…whatever." Alyssa said, turning away.

"Indeed."

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Museum Hallway – 1025 Hours**

Anton had read in more than a few books that had tense situations that it was quiet…too quiet. He'd never really gotten that before; nothing could be _that _quiet, could it? But it could, actually. The building wasn't all that big, and only had two floors, but after two or three rooms without any sign of more droids, you started jumping at anything that made noise, even something was simple as a door clicking shut, or, a bit embarrassingly, his superior's footsteps.

Jeanne had tried a few long-range searches, but the building itself was working against them there; almost every security system in the building ran on magic, and it was enough to interfere with common spells like that. Anton stepped carefully around a wide case lining one wall. All of them had two sets of sensors inside; one to detect any non-magical means of breaking in, and the other to detect any mages trying it. Both would trigger an alarm, but in the case of the latter, an electric shock would emit, proportionate to the amount of force applied in the attempt. If the burglar wasn't careful, they could lose more than just their freedom.

He felt a little awkward being this nervous following behind Captain Stromhold; _she _didn't look worried at all. She barely seemed to look at her surroundings as they turned a corner, tapping at Flashpoint's surface every so often. When they were about in the middle, a beeping came from the device.

"Well, there's a reading." Jeanne said calmly.

"Finally." Anton said, hoping the relief wasn't too obvious in his voice. He looked around. "Where are they?"

"Right above us."

The 'huh?' on his lips was strangled away by the reinforced ceiling breaking open as six droids dropped into the hall on either side, weapons at the ready. In almost the same instant, two iron walls slammed down on either end of the passage, sealing them in completely.

Jeanne bit her lip. She hadn't expected them to be able to hack into the security system, or fit up there for that matter. Sloppy. She was already moving Flashpoint over, but a confined space was going to be a problem, especially with-

"Captain, get down!" a voice cried before a burst of wind sent her hair whipping around. She didn't follow the command – at least, not until she saw the barely-visible spell slam against the glass case off to the side. Then she hit the floor like a sack of bricks.

At first the robots were oblivious, adjusting their aim downward slightly, but the build-up of energy attracted their attention instantly. Not that it did them much good. With a nasty crackle, the system within the case's stand sent out a burst of raw magic at everything in range. Anton and Jeanne weren't harmed, thanks to the captain's shields, but the robots didn't turn out quite as lucky. With jittery shudders, they fell apart one after another as their systems blew apart from the inside.

Anton took a second to get up, which was unfortunately one more than she took. "Not bad, Langsley. But I hope that didn't tire you out too much."

The security wall behind them was still there, but the one in front had opened, revealing…nothing at all.

At least, there wasn't to his eyes. Butthe same quiet that had had him jumping at nothing let him hear a sound coming their way: footsteps.

Jeanne bit down on her cigar. "Anton. Get out of here, quick."

"Huh?" he turned to her, surprised. She hadn't even hesitated with the command.

"I didn't stutter, did I?" she replied, glancing at him sharply. "This one would break you in two, no chance." Flashpoint was swiveled over at the pocket of nothing. "I'll cover you, so get outta here! Find the other two!"

A sharp stream of water fired from the hose, and Anton barely heard another quick set of foot falls, moving off to the side. At the same time, the captain's hand came down on his back and shoved. "Get going!"

A voice like that could make you run straight up an erupting volcano, and he wasn't someone who could disobey. He ran, feeling a presence pass by him as he went through the raised barrier. Nothing happened, but Anton knew for a fact that was only because they hadn't felt like it. It wasn't a very nice fact, at that.

When he passed through, the barrier came back down with a slam, as if on cue. As if someone very close by wanted to separate him from the Captain.

It was beginning to dawn on him that there was probably someone who wanted a word or two with him here in this museum.

Flattening himself to the iron wall, his eyes scanned the empty hallway ahead as he listened for…what? Would she actually let him hear her coming? _"What am I thinking? Definitely."_

The only thing he wanted less than going off alone was to sit here and wait for that. Feeling like a key was turning in his back, he set off, signaling for Akashic to begin scans of her own. Hopefully GD and Ace were doing better than him at the moment.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Portrait Gallery – 1028 Hours**

"You know, Sergeant, I'm beginning to think we took the wrong way."

GD looked sideways at his corporal as another droid stepped forward, clambering over the corpse of a fallen comrade without a glance. **"Statement: I believe that may have been irrelevant, Corporal." **No measures had been taken to inhibit their movements, therefore it was quite probable that there had been multiple ambushes planned. Not that there was any necessary concern for the other party, of course.

Another member of the squad might have reflected more that this wouldn't have become an ambush if not for Ace's usual exuberance. But then, no-one could help how they were made. He knew that, you might say, in his bones. Or at least the nearest equivalent.

In any case, they were not facing any undue adversity on this engagement. Most of the force seemed to be of the standard models, but a few of the specialized ones had been deployed as well. For example, a Knight type was now advancing between two now-unoccupied display stands (both officers had a strong feeling that Arturia would be having a word with them about that later on), its sword ready and shield thrust forward. Behind it, two of the normal models trained their rifles.

Meanwhile, behind them, one of the Boxers stepped into a rush, two others flanking it with their swords prepared. Escape was possible to either side of them, but this would be both un-ideal and rather pointless. He and the corporal had ways of dealing with situations like this.

As the boxer prepared its blow ahead of the knight, Ace reached down and seized hold of the small droid's leg. GD braced himself – there was ample reason why Ace could only execute this maneuver with him. Ducking below the shots and turning his back away from the knight, the strike artist tucked himself into a quick but forceful spin, carrying GD into the air.

The Boxer would have stepped back if it had been able to – it wasn't programmed to deal with something like this, but it never got the chance to figure out exactly what it was. GD triggered his claws as Ace sent him whipping through the air like a Morningstar, aiming right for the neck. The boxer fell to the ground, disabled from a small but effective wound.

That left the two accompanying it – but not for very long. As their revolution turned GD to face the knight's group, Ace was brought closer to them, and he lashed out with a vicious roundhouse kick. It speared the first robot straight in the side, carrying it into the next with a jolt of electricity. The two tumbled into a stand, smashing it apart as they scattered across the room.

And then, the knight. Extending his arms, GD retrieved his leg, gripping onto Ace's outstretched arm and kicked off into a jump, sailing overhead. The swordsman droid's defenses weren't designed for an attack from above, and certainly not behind at the same time. It sputtered as GD's claw was stabbed right into the space between its head and body. Before any resistance could be mounted, the gadget drone twisted, with the same air as someone removing a particularly bothersome screw. In a broad sense, that was what happened now. To someone with sufficient knowledge of both, a robot's head was not connected much more tightly than a human's. The main difference, to him, was that Lady Lackland would not have issue with his treatment of one.

This he reflected upon while tossing the knight's severed head at one of the normal types, bowling it over with the impact to its mid-section. They really were quite predictable. The supposed Commander unit would have their work cut out for them, he felt. At the same time, though, he was almost looking forward to it in a way.

The drone leaped down and continued his work, secure with the noise from nearby that told him Ace was doing the same.

** 0**

**Gardius' Moon – Entrance to Tunnel – 1028 Hours**

"_So, Daniel, what did you say about this tunnel being clear?"_

The archeologist poked his head around the rock pile he was using as a barricade to shoot a glare at Dwight. _"That's 'cause it was! And since when is it my job to look out for anything besides cave-ins?"_

He had a point, but this sure as hell wasn't the time to be debating it. The droids had come out of nowhere as soon as they'd gone too far into the cave to get back out, at least in one piece. It had been Daniel who'd saved their asses, and there was something else he could do to help in this situation. Dwight snapped off a shot, ducking back before he could see if it hit or not.

"_Well, when someone on my team spends all his time acting like some big, hot-shot explorer…" _began the sniper, purposefully leaving a gap that Daniel was more than happy to fill.

"_Acting like? _Acting _like!?" _Daniel yelled, going from zero to livid in about, oh, two seconds. The digger was like clockwork: if you knew what buttons to push, you could make him go cuckoo any time.

He shrugged. _"Well, yeah. You talk big, but most of that stuff is probably made up, if you ask me. Hell, you probably couldn't hack in some of the places where I come from."_

Dwight couldn't see much of Daniel's face from where he was sitting, but what he could was now beet red. _"You mean that back-water lump of dirt you call a planet?" _

"_Well, yeah," _Dwight said, and paused just a moment before playing the flush, so to speak, _"any way you look at it, it'd be a bit of a tall order for you, wouldn't it?"_

Otavi was lying crouched just behind him, and the sniper was positive he heard her gasp, just a little. After that, the cave got a lot louder (if you could _get_ much louder than a dozen or so robots trying to blast you).

"LEMME SHOW YOU WHAT I THINK OF YOUR DUMB PLANET, DWIGHT!" Daniel roared, and swung his pick-axe…at the very rocks protecting him at the moment. It was a baffling maneuver, which was probably exactly why it worked The rocks flew everywhere, obscuring the droids vision; for a brief window they didn't fire. This proved to be a mistake.

Leaping out from where he had sat, the digger hit home like a tiny missile just before the assembled machines, pick-axe shuddering into the tunnel floor.

What happened next could be called a cave-in, but that left out a certain sense of style. It wasn't a collapse – wherever the vanguard units were standing just happened to have a rock fall there. Dwight probably could have been more precise, but not in under ten seconds.

Daniel stood up and dusted himself off, anger expelled with that one move. "Huh. Teach him to talk crap about my…" he muttered, when something caught his eye.

He might not have been as good at it as Dwight, but several parts of him wouldn't still be attached now if he didn't keep a close eye on things. What he saw now was that the 'bots had been standing in formation, and kind of a weird one for just shooting at people behind cover. They hadn't even tried to get any closer, either.

That was when he saw what the robots had strapped to their chests, and heard the beeping that came from them.

"Both of ya get back, now!" he said, running back where he'd came. "This was a set-"

He never got the chance to finish. The detonators the units had been equipped with went off, and in the right combination to trigger a complete collapse of the tunnel. Rocks fell all around them, and not just from the ceiling; Daniel's feet stepped onto nothing as the floor crumbled too. He briefly glimpsed Dwight and Otavi trying to do the same before they vanished too. Then everything went black.

** 0**

**Gardius' Moon – Moon's Surface outside the Cave-In – 1030 Hours**

"_Hey. Hey, Dwight, what's up!?"_

Alyssa quickly turned to Arturia. "Something's wrong, I'm not picking them up anymore. Come on!"

This was one situation where the knight was hardly going to argue. She stepped forward toward the cave along with Alyssa-

There was no telling what might have happened if she hadn't caught a glimpse of it in the corner of one eye. Pushing the captain behind her, Arturia strengthened her shields, and not a moment too soon: two magic bullets screamed in from either side, the explosion sending her stumbling backward.

"Who's there!"

They had to have been waiting for a line like that, Alyssa reflected, as with the whine of an engine an armored figure appeared over the nearest rise. It swooped down as if preparing to attack, but then pulled up short just a little ahead and above them, folding its arms expectantly.

Alyssa stared, and then smiled. "Ooooh, someone's a tough guy, eh?"

To her surprise, they actually nodded.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Museum Hallway – 1031 Hours**

"_This sucks."_

It wasn't what most people would have called a very tactical assessment, but at the moment he felt it was accurate enough for this situation.

His shoulder had started twinging, and there was no way that was a good sign. What could she do to him, really? All he'd done was keep her from doing something she'd regret later on.

"_Will she regret what she's going to do to you for stopping her?" _said a nasty thought in his head before he could stop it.

But well, it wasn't like it was a foregone conclusion, right? He'd held her off before, sort of…with a whole sky's worth of space to move around in instead of those cramped corridors.

He really needed to stop thinking for a bit. The important thing to focus on was that Akashic and he hadn't detected anything yet. If he needed to move, he'd know when.

Anton turned a corner.

Right into a pair of crackling knives.

"Hello there." Katie purred.

_To be continued…_

_Next time, Alyssa and Arturia are forced to deal with their attacker before they can go assist the others – but there's something about them that the former doesn't like, and it won't help her performance. Can the two even work together in a battle with their moods the way they are? And more importantly, can Anton keep himself in one piece now that Katie has him in her sights?_

_Find out this and more in Seeing Stars._

Hope you guys like cliffhangers, because here's three special ones to enjoy.


	13. Seeing Stars

**Section Thirteen**

**Chapter Twelve: Seeing Stars**

**Planet Gardius – Museum Hallway – 1033 Hours**

"Um…now, look…"

"Hm?" Just for a moment, the crackling knife halted. Somehow that didn't reassure him much. Katie leaned in closer. "Did you say something, Mr. Paper Pusher?"

Anton would have liked to say he'd moved quickly when she had ambushed him, but even if he had she probably would have moved quicker. At the moment he was pinned up against the corridor wall, both knives poised to make things very unpleasant for him if he moved, or eventually, whichever came first. He wasn't stupid enough to think there were any other options, and she probably knew it. But she was Alyssa's sister, right? How different could they be?

"I know we seem to have gotten off on the wrong foot, but-" he flinched as one knife was suddenly below his chin.

Katie stared into his eyes. "Why do you think that, I wonder? Because you stuck your nose in where it didn't belong? Because you made me look like a rube? Because you ruined something I put work into?"

She sighed, tapping the other knife on her chin. "It's not your fault though, I suppose – the Bureau does teach you all about meddling, doesn't it?"

So, she wasn't the biggest fan of the TSAB. Fair enough; if you wanted to feel that way, there was plenty of evidence for you. But even so-

"No, you're wrong." Anton watched her eyes open in surprise. She hadn't expected back-talk, but he needed to say this. "I would have done it anyway, even if I wasn't a member of the Bureau. Killing someone in your family is wrong."

He half-expected her to hit him, and as it turned out he was all right. The hard metal of the handle hit him square in the mouth; he stumbled, tasting blood.

Katie's gaze had become a glare. "You think you're better than me, don't you, little man? You don't need to hide it; I've seen that look in your eyes too many times before for that." The knife came closer, down at his neck this time. "My dear sister can pretend to fit in with you as much as she wants, but I'm sure sees it too: there's no way someone like you has ever had to work to put food in your belly, or just to get through the day. What right do you have to say something I do is wrong?"

Anton lifted his eyes to look into hers. "I…don't think you know very much about your sister anymore."

It was only a guess, but even if there really was nothing left between them he got the feeling someone telling her what she didn't know would hit a nerve. It did.

The lightning mage hit him harder this time, but she probably didn't expect him to get flung more than a foot down the hallway. Just one of the benefits of being a light weight – and knowing when to roll with a hit.

Katie realized her blunder quickly, but in that time Anton had already flipped to his feet and disappeared down a corridor, firing a burst of wind at her as a parting shot.

Making one gesture with her knives, the criminal took a deep breath as the attack scattered everywhere but at her. There were a lot of possible ways to deal with what the boy had just said to her, and how he'd used it. There was always the option of a brief moment of intense outward anger, but she took a road just as familiar to her: a prolonged session of intense inner anger.

It wasn't like he could get away from her anyway, really. She set off after Anton, tapping one knife on the wall as she went.

** 0**

**Gardius' Moon – Skies Nearby the Crater – 1031 Hours**

"_So, Arturia, what do you make of this guy?" _Alyssa thought (no way could it be anything but a guy – what kind of girl would act like that?). They'd taken to the skies along with their new opponent – he'd allowed it, but no way was he going to be still for long. Their argument could wait.

From behind the armored figure, Arturia shook her head. _"I am unsure. I was unaware technology like this was even in development."_

"…_well, duh," _Alyssa thought back with a snort, _"that's kind of why they're called _secret _weapons, Arturia. What the hell would be the point otherwise?"_

Before the knight could retort, she tightened her grip on the spear. _"Anyway, we're not going to learn anything about it standing around, and that's what he wants! C'mon; I got the front, you take the back!"_

If Arturia couldn't halt her captain's words, stopping her from charging was an impossible task. Giving Bowie a spin, Alyssa flew toward the armored mage.

She'd learned to watch a person's body-language during that first rush – how they reacted to a sudden charge could tell you a lot about them. 'course, it didn't work so well with armor covering every inch of them, but without that experience she wouldn't have noticed him twitching one covered hand slightly. She barrel rolled to one side, the move giving her a good view of the attack as it shot by her.

Another thing Alyssa had learned to watch was spells, and that was how she knew what the red sphere would do a second before it did – not that that helped her much. Before she could make another move the bullet picked up speed and made the kind of turn only magic could, slamming into her shoulder and sending her spinning.

It could have been a shot to the chest, the captain knew as she righted herself. So, he wanted to keep them busy _and _play around, huh? Punk. Well if he thought he could play that game with her he had another thing coming.

Over his shoulder she could glimpse Arturia being harassed by a few more of the spells. Fine by her: that idiot would only get in the way.

A growing whine attracted her attention as two flaps spread open near the armor's shoulders: jet engines. What came out of them wasn't burning fuel and exhaust, however, but twin streams of magic, almost invisible to the naked eye. Not that she had much chance to evaluate this, as they produced enough speed to let him close the distance in scant seconds.

Alyssa snorted. Trying to surprise her with speed, huh? These guys hadn't really done their research. She moved her arm, heated up the ti – moved her arm…

She flicked her eyes down just in time to see the bind pinning her arm before he struck her. It was a crude tackle, but with how fast he was moving an unprotected human would have some of their bones pulverized. As it was, part of the upper part of her jacket broke, and she felt something crack within her.

The guy could have pressed the attack easy, but he had other plans. Turning the momentum into a sharp backward turn, he descended upon Arturia.

While her captain was under attack Arturia had weathered her own well enough, slashing one of the orbs in twain and withstanding the others far better than her commander had. She looked up and narrowed her eyes as the armored mage neared her. There was no hope of dodging if Alyssa could not, but for her this was unnecessary. Bringing the flat of Frangir's blade out in front of her, Arturia concentrated, summoning a gleaming shield. Even the corporal would find himself hard pressed to break one of these.

And what a coincidence that she should think of him now. As their mysterious foe pulled back his hand, she noticed a glow running underneath the suit's arm, heading for the knuckles. It manifested in a crackling aura, and he made a fist.

But while Ace certainly had speed, he had never been able to obtain the momentum an aerial mage was capable of, and perhaps this mage (or at least his suit) was more than merely his equal in strength. After a moment or so cracks formed on the edge of her barrier, and soon after broke entirely. Alyssa would have been able to slip aside when this happened, but Arturia was caught as the left-over force of the attack washed over her and her device, knocking her away just as easily.

Again, rather than take his advantage and run with it, the armored mage retreated, ascended slightly to look between his two opponents. Then he shrugged.

"_I'm gonna kill this guy." _Alyssa thought.

"…_I am somewhat vexed now, as well."_

** 0**

**Gardius' Moon – Teleport Chamber – 1033 Hours**

The pad glowed for a brief moment, projecting a silhouette that gradually became Cashim's suited form. She stepped off, shaking her head slightly – that wasn't something she would ever grow used to. _"Ryusei, Lacerta," _she murmured once her helmet's transceiver had tapped into their frequency, _"what's your status?"_

"_Keeping these two busy like you said, boss." _the former said cheerfully. _"Man, heh, these two are totally…uh, not people you should underestimate. Doubt I'll have any problems, though."_

"_I appear to have done away with the officers going through the rear entrance. There was no sign of them following the tunnel's collapse. However, the archeologist was present among them; I will be on the alert as well." _The girl paused. _"I am entering the air-lock to where Dr. K's experiments are kept. I will keep you informed, Commander."_

"_Same here."_

Cashim nodded. _"As you were, then." _

Despite Lacerta's report, she found her legs taking her toward where the charges went off. It hadn't surprised her that the Doctor's daughter had done something like that; she'd always been the pragmatic sort. Odd, really – you'd expect Ryusei to fit that mold better, given where he'd come from.

"_Think about yourself before them." _the agent reminded herself as her footsteps disturbed the first bits of debris from the new collapse. The ceiling was still mostly intact, but through a few holes stars could be seen. There was no sign through them of Ryusei's battle, but of course, it could be happening a few feet away and she might not notice in this environment.

The scattered rocks grew larger until the passage simply dropped away. It looked like a long fall, but Cashim didn't intend to get close enough to find out. Leaning up against one larger boulder and crouching, she panned her gaze across the space between it and the chasm, not giving any inch of it a careless glance. After it passed the opposite wall, she glanced away – then raised her rifle.

"_Just what you'd expect from a Bureau sniper." _she thought with some approval as her shoulders hit the dirt from the roll. A second later the whine of an energy shot reached her ears, followed by the sound of another small leap.

Almost unthinkingly Cashim's hands double-checked her rifle. _"Seems I'll be here a while." _she thought calmly. There had only been a small chance of it, but the fact remained a problem was still here. Her duty was to take care of problems.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Blockaded Museum Hallway – 1034 Hours**

Jeanne backed away, free hand on Flashpoint's temperature gauge, and frowned as she ended up with her back to the barricade. On the other side of the room, Barnes smiled.

It wasn't that she had a problem fighting the damn attack dog; Dwight was the one who'd been shaken up by him, not her. But whoever was holding his leash this time knew how she fought pretty well. She was fine from far away, but when they got within arm's reach, well, that was where it got tricky. Trying the axe trick against a familiar probably wasn't the best idea, either, especially not one like him.

The hybrid cracked his neck back and forth, the popping noise butting in on her thoughts. "You know," he murmured, "you're trapped between two walls you definitely don't have the time to bust through, with someone who could snap you in half without that jacket of yours on, and help probably not coming in time."

By this time his glasses had come off, and the inhuman eyes beneath narrowed. "But that look on your face, the way you're standing…you don't just think you're going to survive this, you _know _it." One lip curled back, exposing his fangs. "Speaking as someone in my line of work, that kind of ticks me off."

"Oh, really? Dear me, I definitely didn't mean to do that." Jeanne swished around something in her mouth before spitting it on the floor. "Next you'll be telling me I disrespected how you chase cars, and pee on old newspapers."

The lip curled up a bit more, and Barnes charged.

Jeanne quickly angled Flashpoint downward and fired, the spray aimed toward his legs. Snarling in contempt and annoyance, Barnes leaped forward, swinging a fist that sprouted claws right for her throat.

But the captain was already running forward herself, and now dropped low, ducking into a slide underneath him. And by coincidence, the floor had just gotten a lot more slippery.

By the time Barnes had righted himself, Jeanne had gotten to her feet at the other end of the corridor, and now fired again. The familiar snarled, leaping again.

Not the best move. Jeanne slammed the gauge straight down to the heat side with a clang. The stream of water heated up, and then burst down the middle, sending red-hot droplets scattering throughout the corridor like a shotgun.

The captain perked her ears up to listen above the sound of the stream; she'd used this a few times before, and things tended to get noisy for one reason or another when it hit. She shut off the water, peering through the slight cloud that had formed. Nothing, not even an outline.

Jeanne took a step backward, looked down intently toward the water now coating the floor – and then lifted Flashpoint and fired one shot toward the wall next to her. It hit something mid-way, and with a grunt a shimmering patch fell that became Barnes as he hit the ground.

"Now I've got a dog thinking I'm an idiot." Jeanne muttered. "I'd be offended if I still cared about that kind of thing."

Growling, Barnes flipped back to his feet, and the fight was on again.

**Gardius' Moon – Ambush Corridor – 1033 Hours**

"_This isn't good."_

In his line of work then and now, Dwight made it a point not to think along those lines. Self-fulfilling prophecy, after all: if you ever started thinking you were going to screw up it probably wasn't too far behind. So it took a lot for him to start down that road, but in this case he felt the situation called for it.

One, he was facing a professional, with no-one at his back whatsoever – and the two people who had been until a few minutes ago might be seriously injured. Two, the terrain was working against him as well as it could. A massive drop behind, and perfect cover ahead for the other shooter. Three, he'd wrenched his leg during the explosion. Would that work against him if the guy got into arm's reach? You betcha. Which lead into four: there was no way he was going to play for anything but keeps now. Last time he'd been an afterthought, but now they were on his turf.

Another flash of movement made him fire. The guy ducked back down, but sooner or later he was going to get closer. And only one of them was able to retreat here.

"_This isn't good." _he repeated.

** 0**

**Gardius' Moon – Cave-In Aftermath – 1032 Hours**

"…ugh." Daniel said. Well, not exactly _said_, since what had just come out of his mouth was more like a mix of a pained grunt and a gurgle than those three letters.

Before finding out where he'd landed, the archeologist took stock of things. Arms? Present. Legs? Accounted for. That didn't put it above the incident at the space port, with the tar…still, it hurt like hell. Forehead was bleeding, too.

He struggled to his feet, head ringing, and looked around. He couldn't see the ceiling, and jagged walls rose up on either side of him, except for the small shelf he had managed to land on.

Lithic had done the same; lucky him. _"Not gonna try climbing, are you, chief?"_

"Does it look like I lost some brain-cells in that fall, pal?" Daniel growled back. "Tunneling's out too, in this place." But there was always another opportunity. He edged up to the drop and looked down: He thought he could see something down there, but safety first. Scooping up a loose rock, the digger dropped it over the edge and cupped his ear. The thud came after two seconds. Not too bad, but he wasn't going to just drop down all that way. Gripping Lithic's handle, he eyed the opposite wall. Wasn't more than a hop away, really, no problem.

Backing up in what space he had, Daniel took a running start and leaped, thrusting the shovel into the wall ahead of him. With a clank the device sunk in, and held for a moment.

He felt the shudder before he heard the noise. _"Oh, well shi-"_

There was no time to grab onto anything else, or even finish his swear. Daniel fell, tumbling head over heels, unable to get another hold before he landed-

-softly. Still feeling himself vibrating from the fall, he slowly opened his eyes.

"You are alright. That is good." spoke a quiet voice before his eyes had quite stopped spinning: Otavi. She smiled down at him, looking practically spotless from the fall. Down…the next thing Daniel noticed was that he was being held bridal-style.

"Uh, thanks." he replied, hoping he didn't squirm out of her arms _too _fast. "Dwight with you?"

He frowned as she shook her head. "Let's hope he got down as well as we did." Daniel looked around. "More importantly, where are we?" He took a step, and blinked as the clunk of metal sounded beneath his foot. Beneath the rocks around them was a steel surface. "Some kinda bunker?"

It looked pretty damn sturdy, too. And air-tight. So the question was, what was up on this moon that needed a set-up like this?

"_And more importantly, is it something I'm gonna regret finding?" _

Otavi pointed over his shoulder. "The entrance is over there."

Sure enough, there was a short drop a ways away, leading to a door that looked like it was designed to take punishment from a captain. Ahead of it another crude hallway twisted, with no end in sight.

Daniel scratched at his chin. There was probably at least a mile's worth of tunnel between them and the surface now, and no way was he digging straight up, especially not with Otavi. If this bunker needed air, maybe there was a map of this place in there or something. Maybe even the big bosses – that would solve the whole thing right away, wouldn't it? Maybe even get him a medal. _"Or a nice inscription on my tombstone, anyway." _

Well, nothing could be all bad, could it? He dropped down, offering a hand for Otavi to do the same. They both stepped up to inspect the door.

There was no window, and no handle either, but what looked like a hand-scanner on the front. Daniel reached out when Otavi did the same, touching the door's surface lightly. "Someone went through here. Not one of the machines, but someone who can think."

Sometimes he wondered if there was anything his partner couldn't make sound creepy. He shrugged, and put his hand on the scanner. Daniel had a second or two to wonder if there might be an alarm or something before it slid open with a hiss. Beyond was a small chamber, and another door. Otavi stepped through quickly, and he paused to offer a quick general prayer that this wouldn't end with him in pieces before he followed.

**Unknown Base – Computer Room – 1034 Hours**

"You know, I can't help but notice that we're running a bit low on troops down below."

Leonard paused in watching the screens. The way Grace had said that made it seem the farthest thing from an idle observation. "Well, it's not as though we have a customer guarantee." he said carefully. "This business is only a façade, after all."

Grace pursed her lips. "Still, though. If this distraction gets broken up too soon, it might cause trouble up above. I doubt Cypher would appreciate that much." She flexed the fingers on her right hand. "These two in particular could be a problem."

The other doctor swiveled around in his chair sharply. "Grace, that unit isn't designed for combat!"

"It has arms, doesn't it?" she replied, almost dreamily. Leonard gulped.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Museum Hallway – 1034 Hours**

Anton paused, looking between the intersection he'd found himself in, and slipped into the one on his left. Leaning against the wall, he listened carefully: nothing, for all that meant. But he probably had a few moments even so.

"Akashic," he asked down at the book, "what would you say my chances are of getting out of this without fighting?" He could have asked for his chances overall, but somehow that didn't seem like it would give very positive results.

"_Approximately twenty-eight percent, young master, with a margin of error."_

He didn't ask what the margin was. "And with?"

"_Close to forty percent, young master." _

"I see." he replied, breathing out. "That's not very good, is it?"

Without a word from him, Akashic's pages began to flip, stopping at some recent entries. Anton stared at them: somehow they hadn't seemed so hare-brained when he'd written them down. He took a deep breath from his inhaler. "Alright, let's try."

He settled down and listened carefully, preparing a spell… _"I hope you're doing better than I am, Alyssa."_

** 0**

**Gardius' Moon – Surface – 1035 Hours**

Speed, power and durability: when you got down to it, they were the three biggest qualities looked for in any mage who served a combat role. It didn't matter if you had more of one than the others, or an equal amount of all of them, there was always some niche available for you. And then, of course you found the ones who had ample amounts of all three. _They _made their own niche.

There was no telling how strong this guy actually was, because any weak spot he had was probably covered up by the armor he was wearing. It made sense: a physical defense meant he had more energy to devote to everything else, and it had none of the flaws their barrier jackets did. It let him move faster, take more hits, and deal out bigger ones of his own. No small operation could have made anything like it, so the Major's thoughts were probably confirmed. He was going to be pretty happy about that, if they managed to get back in one piece.

"_God_dammit_!" _Alyssa cursed in frustration as the punk (that was gonna be what she called him even if she did learn his name at this rate) broke away from Arturia and spun around quicker than she could have on her best day. She drew back quickly, hurling a fireball straight for the visor. Her teeth bit together as he powered straight through it, extending one hand.

She prepped a quick shield, but he ignored that too, flying straight through it and wrapping one gauntlet around Bowie's shaft.

That gave her a close look at the armor's helmet, and even if the visor was tinted she could see the smile behind it clear as day. _"This…is gonna suck." _

It was a pretty good guess. Tightening his grip the armored mage swung back around before Alyssa could think of letting go, hurling her back the way he'd been facing – and where Arturia was charging in now.

She didn't hit Frangir point-first, but that was pretty much the only good thing Alyssa had to say about it. Arturia's armor was meant to stop a lot of things, and that included people, even if they happened to be her boss.

"_But, hey," _she thought as she bounced off slightly, her lieutenant doing the same, _"at least she felt it, too. Maybe. A little?"_

It took Alyssa about one second too many to realize it was a good time for them to move. Glowing chains leapt up around the two and squeezed, pressing the two of them together. This sent her back slamming into Arturia's armor once more, and the knight's head crashing into the back of her neck as a bonus.

"_You couldn't be even a _little _taller?" _she growled.

"_I could say the opposite regarding you." _Arturia replied with a good dose of venom. Like a lot of people height was a touchy subject for her.

Alyssa shrugged, looked back toward their enemy, and frowned. He hadn't moved, but only because he had something a lot better in mind. His palm was held out toward them, more of the red energy gathering there. It didn't take a combat genius to see what kind of move he was preparing.

It was more than that for Alyssa, though, far more. For a moment she stared, oblivious to Arturia's struggles, remembering this from both long ago and just recently. Then she began to struggle too, frantically. _"No, not like this; I won't let you do it to me _again_!"_

But what you wanted and what actually happened were often very different things. Here, for instance, the chains held unflinchingly, while the charging beam grew larger, and larger…

"…_dammit." _Alyssa thought, and closed her eyes.

The beam crossed the distance between them in just a second or two, smashing into them full force. The impact broke the binds, but that was small comfort for the two of them: the beam pinned them in the air just as well as it engulfed them. With only their passive defenses able to stand against the laser, the two felt pieces of their barrier jackets burn away completely. When it wore off, the first direction they went was straight down.

Arturia was the first to recover, tilting herself before the impact so that her armor took most of it rather than her head. Even so it wasn't a very soft landing, and she skidded for a few feet before managing to rise.

That was a stronger hit than many she had taken before, but her captain was another story. Personal distaste could not override a knight's duty, after all. Adjusting her armor and taking flight again, she turned, and took in a sharp hiss of breath.

Alyssa had been in the front, of course, and their foe had clearly not been interested in holding back. Her over-jacket had shattered completely, and her arms and face had been burned from what it couldn't block.

But one hand still clutched Bowie – intact even with the cracks he had gained – and, shuddering, the captain began to rise.

Arturia flew closer quickly. _"Alyssa, you cannot-"_

The spear came down, shattering a rock so cleanly it almost produced a crack even without an atmosphere to do it in. _"Shut up. I decide when something is over." _Alyssa's gaze travelled up toward the armored mage, who hadn't moved. _"And even if he doesn't know it, he just decided he wants to play hard ball. I was going to ignore it before, but he had to go and use _that _trick, didn't he?" _She rose into the air, fire beginning to crackle around her.

"_What trick?" _Arturia said, frowning. Alyssa sounded a good deal more than angry. _"What do you mean?"_

Her captain turned and glared. _"You mean you haven't noticed? Sure he might have an arsenal, but he's been outmaneuvering us since this fight started. Just like _her_! Almost every move he's used against us was lifted straight from her playbook. And I'm gonna make him pay for it!"_

"_Do you think I am clairvoyant? Who are you talking about, Alyssa?"_

By now she had risen to the same height as the armored mage, glaring straight at him. _"You really haven't seen it when it's been right in your face this whole time? He has the same moves as the most recognizable face in the whole Bureau! I'm talking about the White Devil, the Ace of Aces, the person everyone in Midchilda wants to be!"_

Fire gathering around her, she raced toward the armored mage.

"_NANOHA TAKAMACHI!"_

_To be continued…_

_Next time, Alyssa unleashes an attack of pure rage on her opponent – one that unleashes some of Ryusei's own. The kid gloves are officially off, and it's up to Arturia to keep her captain in one piece, if she can. And back down on Gardius, a new combatant makes things a good deal trickier for Ace and GD, while Anton inacts his best laid plans. But more importantly, what will Daniel and Otavi find within the bunker, and will they regret it?_

_Find out all this and more in Crystal Thorns._

I'm sure some of you probably know where I'm going with this already, but for those who don't, the shoe will probably be dropping next chapter. I hope you'll be looking forward to it.


	14. A Dangerous Bloom

**Section Thirteen**

**Chapter Thirteen: A Dangerous Bloom**

**Gardius' Moon – Underground Bunker Airlock – 1035 Hours**

"About time." Daniel muttered as the door before them let out a clunk, finally unlocking. According to Lithic the air was breathable inside.

Grabbing hold of the handle he tugged, grunting, and blinked as Otavi laid a hand over his. "Something wrong, O-" He gulped as he turned to look at her. She had that faraway look in her eyes again, and it was aimed right at where they were headed.

"We must be careful." she murmured, sparing him a glance. "Something dangerous is ahead."

He always hated whenever someone gave him that bit of advice: something you already knew minus any info that would actually be _helpful_. But Otavi could inject all sorts of information into those four words. He nodded.

This door was somehow even bulkier than the last, and the hiss and clank as it swung open made him flinch. _"Tell everyone we're here, why don't ya?"_

No-one was in sight behind the bulkhead, thankfully. It opened up onto a long, sterile-white corridor. That was probably deliberate, because the only lighting was from a dim bulb in the ceiling. A few doors were set into either side of the corridor.

Daniel took a few steps toward one, the low clunks from them seeming about three times too loud to him. Gingerly he opened the door, and noticed the stains on it just a second before he saw what was on the other side.

Otavi jumped as her friend slammed the door quickly. He took a deep, slow breath and tapped the door. "N-nobody there, heh heh…"

He didn't open any of the other doors after that, holding his ear to them instead. Nothing. 'course, it was possible the doors were just air-tight and there was stuff inside besides…_that_. But just for once, he'd be fine with embracing ignorance.

The corridor made a sharp turn off to the left, and as they approached it he _did _begin to hear sounds, and not particularly pleasant ones, either. Crashes, muffled growling, and the unmistakable whine of a laser. Daniel thought back to what he'd seen in the room. Well, this place being a control room was probably off the table now. This seemed like more of a storage room, and he felt like he had a pretty good idea of what it was meant to store. He wished he didn't.

They turned the corner carefully. The only door leading off this one was at the very end, slightly ajar. The sounds he had heard were behind it for certain.

Gulping, Daniel took a step forward, and practically on cue the door was slammed almost totally off its hinges – as something came rushing through.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Museum Display Room – 1035 Hours**

GD and Ace both sensed the attack coming and dodged at roughly the same time, the former with a quick leap, the other by simply backhanding the laser shots away. They turned as a different model, colored gold, came walking toward them. Not like the military march of the other droids, but a casual saunter. That alone was enough to make it unique to the two even before it spoke.

"_Impressive. But I suppose both of you have to be, for the Bureau to hire mere tools."_

"What'd you say-!?" Ace said, taking a step forward, but GD moved in front of him, staring the other machine down.

After a few moments he replied. **"Statement: you are one of the people behind these machines, I assume? I am quite flattered by the compliment – but also curious why you would reveal yourself to us now, over a mere robbery." **He paused, tapping his chin. **"Contemplation: **_**is **_**this a mere robbery?"**

"_My, my," _an amused laugh came from the speaker, _"you machines do love to overthink things, don't you? But I'm afraid my lips are sealed."_

Ace pushed past GD, glaring at the machine. "Don't talk about the sergeant like that."

All this produced was an amused laugh from the robot's speaker. _"My, such loyalty. But I'm afraid I'm talking about you both, dear."_

But GD had had enough of letting this new foe speak. With a sudden sprint he crossed the distance of the trophy room between them, thrusting his claw out in a stab at the gold machine's chest. As soon as he learned what to target, one move had proved more than sufficient for any of their models so far.

Unfortunately, the intelligence behind this one seemed to be aware of this, and of him as well. He was forcibly stopped short as two hands seized his arm in a skillful hold, and one quick motion later was thrown into the floor eye-first. GD tried to roll, but was pressed back down as the droid used his back like a spring-board, coming down toward Ace.

"Taking to the air against a lightning-user?" he muttered, his left gauntlet crackling. "Not a very good idea. **Spark Knuckle!**"

"_If you say so." _The robot's controller said as it slipped around the attack, grabbing hold of the gauntlet once the charge had left it. Ace grunted as he was born to the ground from its weight, and before he could summon more magic the arm was wrenched harshly to one side. He bit back a cry of pain and swung out, but it easily slipped away, backhanding him in the nose on the way.

The two rose and faced the machine. GD's hand hung limper than before, and despite his barrier jacket Ace felt a dull pain within his arm. _"Hm, perhaps I should have stayed home. I was interested in seeing what you two were capable of, but I suppose even great minds can produce duds now and then."_

Ace clenched his fist. "The only dud was in the head of who decided to make me. So shut up!"

"_Well, we're in agreement there. I'm almost certain their brain wasn't functioning when they made _you_."_

GD moved to intercept him, but Ace moved quicker. "I told you to SHUT UP!"

Behind the droid's controls, Grace smiled to herself as she watched him charge. _"I saw that hesitation, even if he didn't feel it. A bit disappointing, but I suppose it isn't his fault. I'll have to meet him in person at some point, of course – won't that be fun?" _

** 0**

**Gardius' Moon – Underground Bunker Hallway – 1036 Hours**

Some animals, Daniel knew, could move so quick or strike so fiercely that your eyes could almost believe there was more than one of them for a second. That was the case here.

Not because what came out of the door was fast, although it was, but because in a certain horrible way, it _was _multiple animals. Lunging ahead for his throat was the head of a lion, fangs bared, while from where its tail should have been came a striking snake, its hiss filling the hallway. Both were connected together in a way that would make Daniel eat his device if it were natural. Staples and others remnants of whatever surgery created the thing stood out across both their hides, and a mad look was in the eyes of both heads.

Ordinarily Daniel would have been glad to throw up at the sight of it, but if he wanted to keep a mouth to do that from it could wait now. As the creature leaped, he took a step back and shoved Lithic forward like a stick, catching the thing between both jaws. It stumbled, sprawling on the ground from the jump, but that didn't deter it one bit; letting out a choked snarl the lion tried to chew right through the device to get at him.

Grunting, the digger prepared a spell, trying not to think too hard about the thing in front of him. Then he watched, eyes fixed, as the snake head slowly rose up from behind, staring right back at them. Its eyes glowed. _"Uh…Otavi?"_

From behind him came the sound of the girl's violin. He smiled at the surge of power that rose up within him. Even without plants around, Otavi more than pulled her weight.

The chimera let out a noise of surprise as the little morsel before it pushed, sending its legs sliding back across the white floor. Its snake head tried to loose whatever spell it had been preparing, but Daniel kicked it under the jaw and shoved quickly, sending it teetering onto its hind legs. He ripped Lithic out, drew him back and-

"_Move, now!"_

When Otavi said something like that, you listened. He leaped to the side, and just after heard a prolonged roar of pain from the beast. It staggered, and then collapsed, revealing dollar-sized burns in both its heads. A similar mark was where he'd just been standing.

What had done it was hovering near the ceiling: a smooth-looking machine with a silver shell. Five small cannons extended from it, one of them currently smoking.

Daniel tensed himself to leap again, but all it did was zip back down the hallway, toward where the chimera had come from. He shared a glance from Otavi, and they followed.

The sounds coming from the room had lessened, but not died down completely. It seemed to be a holding chamber for more of the hybrids like the one he just fought. Or had been, at any rate: the cages were all shattered now, and with one last shot the final chimera fell, a gruesome mix between a bull and some kind of bird.

The figure responsible turned to face them. It was another machine, like the ones who'd blown themselves up earlier, but this one looked more important. It was bigger, but had slimmer limbs, and a fragile looking frame. One thing it didn't have was a right arm, at least for a moment or two. The floating machine came over, adjusted itself, and slid smoothly into the slot.

They both tensed as the machine raised its returned arm, gesturing at them – no, at their devices. It then pointed down at the floor. Even wordless, the intent was clear. "Oh, you can forget that." Daniel growled. "You want a pair of hostages? You'll have to earn them, buddy."

Its shoulders went up and down slightly, the simple gesture managing to indicate the corpses now strewn about the room. Only some of them had put up enough resistance to be riddled with laser fire, rather than a single surgical hole. But if it was one thing the archeologist didn't like, it was being threatened.

The thing looked like it could snap a shot off pretty quick, and it had better; otherwise whoever built it was just about to watch their hard work get scrapped, literally. Still feeling the enchantment pulsing through his veins, Daniel ran forward, swinging his device ahead of him in pick form.

Before his eyes, the thing came to pieces. Not because he hit it (although that definitely would have happened _then_, too, if you asked him), but because it literally split apart. Both arms slipped off just before the legs did too, following the torso higher into the air. The head separated from that and went up near the ceiling, gaze still on the pair of them.

Daniel stopped his charge, and took a step back. He'd expected the arms to come off, since that was where you put the weapons, right? _"Unless…" _he suppressed a gulp, somehow feeling like the pieces without eyes were looking at him, too, _"you didn't really feel like making parts that _didn't _have weapons in them."_

The arms moved first, quickly moving through the air above him. He raised Lithic carefully, but before he could think of any game plan the limbs stopped, one aimed at the back of his legs, the other right at his forehead. He flung himself to the side just before the ten pin-point beams intersected each-other.

That got him about, oh, a half second to breath before one of the legs came flying at him, lined with energy and whirling like a buzz-saw. _"…why the hell did I have to make _that _comparison?"_

Gritting his teeth, he swung Lithic in a powerful arc at the leg. They collided in a clash of sparks and a vicious whine – but his enchantment gave him the edge, and it went spinning off into the corner of the room. Trouble was, so did he. Daniel went rolling across the room, only stopped when his back hit something solid. Smooth, too, bit of a relief with all those broken-

A set of binds snapped over his chest, pinning his arms together. Craning his neck, he saw the machine's chest piece hovering there, the restraints coming off of it. "Dammit! Let go of me!" He struggled, but the piece seemed designed for this. Even barely moving was painful. Before his eyes, the two arms hovered into view, fingers glowing.

He had to think fast. Lithic was still in his grasp, not that he could swing it very far. But he could angle the device so it and the robot piece were touching; that was more than enough. Or at least it would be if this thing's insides were as sensitive as they looked.

The shovel began to vibrate quickly, enough that it would have been pretty painful to hold for long. But he didn't need to: the vibration carried onto the chest piece, and the binds trapping him weakened. He broke free, barely dodging the arms' fire as they turned to track him. "Run!" he shouted to Otavi, but she was already out the door. No way they could fight that thing with just the two of them. Hell, they might need an entire squad!

** 0**

**Planet Gardius? – Teleport Chamber – 1040 Hours**

Lacerta frowned as the bind loosened, releasing the Section Thirteen officer prematurely. She hadn't anticipated him thinking that quickly, or her machine's spells being that easily disrupted. Father would have to be told, later. But it had very little consequence: in these unfamiliar tunnels, they could not hope to surpass Unit Comet's speed, and the terrain would only grant her the advantage. The girl waved a hand and thought, and the machine reassembled itself.

It was unfortunate that the two of them had found their way here. This was not part of her duties, but they were her enemies, separated from the rest, and assuming this encounter was sound evidence, incapable of posing much of a threat to her. And with her as their foe, they would not be seeing the stars again.

"_So, have you finished amusing your father?"_

She had not been paying attention to the room around her. Dr. K's bird flapped its wings as it descended from the ceiling, landing on a pipe closer to her. It preened at a wing as the collar crackled. _"My experiments certainly count as part of the cargo up there, yes. But exactly what information do you believe they could gain from them about us? I am quite proud to say the TSAB has no concrete information on me."_

The condor regarded her with a keen eye. It had no outer signs of his experimentation, but perhaps he had modified its intelligence somehow, to better serve as a messenger. _"But I'm sure you were aware it would please your father – for some reason he seems to dislike me. And anything that raises his spirits can't be unnecessary, can it? In that sense, you're quite predictable."_

Letting out a slight sigh, Lacerta turned, raising the visor to stare at the avian. "If you do not have anything relevant to discuss, please leave. I am-"

An alert from the visor's display made her eyes widen, just slightly. It had nothing to do with her, but was something she had been on the lookout for since this operation began. She snapped the visor back down quickly, sending a transmission to her partner and moving Unit Comet in pursuit of the officers. Lacerta had always been quite good at multi-tasking.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Blockaded Museum Hallway – 1038 Hours**

Despite some of the…'humor' familiars of his function tended to attract, Barnes prided himself on not playing with his food, at least not while he was on the clock. Of course his duties today didn't specifically include ending anyone's life, but he liked to give his master what he wanted, not just what he'd asked for.

So anyone able to stand up against him for very long wasn't managing it because he was bored. And even if he inclined toward that, he'd be a fool to play around with Jeanne Stromhold. He didn't honestly care either way about what record she had, but neither could he deny the woman was made of tough meat indeed. She wasn't going to give up or beg; you couldn't take her anything but seriously.

But that was fine by him. He wasn't going to get left in the dust by Katie, even if she was the one fueling his magic at the moment.

Right now Jeanne was at the opposite end of the corridor again; for someone supposedly famed for her sturdiness, she was damn good at slipping out of things. Tensing his muscles, Barnes' paws flew across the floor as he charged forward.

He'd expected her to try and fire, but she prepared a shield instead, reaching across where he'd be leaping. And leap he did – with his back legs, sending him into a reverse flip with his tail swinging above the barricade, down toward her head. A blow from it could pulverize most mages, and even her if she had no time to defend herself properly.

He probably would have felt more confident about it if her expression had budged, just a little.

Jeanne took a broad step forward through the shield, which evaporated like spit on a hot sidewalk. Leaving Flashpoint's main body to thud to the carpet behind her, she hefted his axe form in a broad slash overhead. The water that formed the blade was searing hot – hot enough to sever a familiar's fifth limb in two.

Barnes tried to roll with it, but the pain shot right up his spine, and sprawled hard onto one arm. He took a second to rise, but that was fine. She had to go and cut off his tail, didn't she? He turned to watch Jeanne take a step back, frowning at the holes that had been burned in the front of her barrier jacket. The tip of his severed tail sat a few feet away, the blood from it eking its own hole into the carpet.

"Who the hell made you, anyway?" she muttered, splashing the corrosive substance off.

"Wouldn't believe me if I told you. Which I won't." Barnes growled back. His tail would grow back on its own in the next few hours, but in the meantime it would hurt like hell. He hadn't been planning on revealing that little trick, least of all to someone so able to roll with it. But hell, now that he had…the familiar hung back, feeling a sac in the back of his throat slowly fill up…

Jeanne frowned, quickly reconnecting her device's two parts. _"Great. That's all I need right now."_

** 0**

**Gardius' Moon – Skies Above Cave-In – 1039 Hours**

"_So these two are supposed to be important? _Really?_ I better not be getting pranked or something."_

The boss would probably smack him upside the head for thinking like that, but hey, it was true. He'd been in simulations against solo opponents that put up more of a fight than both these two at once. It was boring, really; everything they tried he saw coming from a mile away. The captain especially: it was like he'd fought her…before.

Ryusei frowned beneath his visor, just as Alyssa raised her head, meeting his eyes. He flinched, just before she took off like a rocket straight toward him. Those eyes were pure anger; not the annoyance he got from Lacerta or the talking-tos he got from the boss, just hatred. She didn't want him beaten now, but _gone_. He'd never seen anything like it be-

"…_no. Not now, anytime but-"_

_The flames billowed around him, the heat they gave off a contrast to the cold night air. Most of the roof around him had been pulverized; he would have been too if he'd donned his barrier jacket a moment slower. Gripping his device tightly, he walked out of the flames._

_The red-haired girl stared at him like she had seen a ghost, eyes widening. Just as quickly, though, the anger returned, with two words._

"_You devil…"_

Two things hit Ryusei then; Bowie's point on the outside of his armor, and a needle from within it, sliding from a hidden compartment smoothly into his neck. Cypher's idea, that was, and he understood why. Bad enough this should happen one-on-one, but if he went wild while the boss was around, things could go wrong really fast. It could be the needle thinking there, though; whatever was in it calmed him down.

It also made his vision go dotted with spots, and his hearing to go dim for a second, but he'd prefer that to seeing some of her memories. The one in his head fizzled out like static on a TV, but not before parts of others came flashing in. Ryusei had gotten used to it by now, but this time one brief image stood out: the face of the woman in front of him. She was younger, but the look of anger was almost exact.

That explained why she was pissed, then…but the reason why made him kinda angry, too.

Angry, but still very, very calm.

Alyssa flinched as her next thrust came up short; the fault of the sudden bind coming from one armored hand. That left Bowie's shaft within grabbing distance, and he tugged her in close. Then before she could struggle, he spoke.

"_I take it you noticed whose moves I'm using? But in case you _haven't _noticed, you're not fighting her at the moment."_

He shoved Alyssa backward hard, then pointed a finger right at her face. _"But if you wanted something more original, all you had to do was ask."_

The next words were to the AI inside the armor. It wasn't as chatty as a Device, but it was always listening. "METEOR, send me the sword."

"_Acknowledged. Transporting Close-Range Armament 1, code-name 'Nova'."_

A crackle came from the armor's audio channels. _"Ryusei." _Lacerta said dispassionately. _"I detected a psychological spike from you. What happened?"_

"_Nothing, thanks to Grace's medicine. Remind me to thank her when we get back – I won't be much longer with these two."_

She paused. Ryusei could practically see the frown. _"Wait." _the girl added, noticing something else. _"You're using Nova on them? It hasn't been tested in live combat yet. And it's quite the card to be showing now."_

"_The captain's already figured out where a lot of my moves come from, so I'll have to show them something new to make sure I can keep this diversion up. Besides, it's not the only weapon this armor has, and it being damaged wouldn't be good either."_

Lacerta was impressed despite herself. The logic was there, of course, but ordinarily Ryusei would have voiced it far more crudely. She would have to ask Dr. Flush about the medicine's contents later on.

"_Anyway, if there's nothing else, I'm kinda busy here."_

Alyssa had recovered from the gut-punch impressively fast, and gone in for more stabs. He dodged them all, moving smoother than he had before. Not that she cared; he was going down no matter how fast he could move.

Ryusei noticed the light growing off to one side a full second before she did. The lieutenant was there, preparing a decent shot of magic going by his armor's readings. Probably not on the captain's orders, though: surprise flickered across her face, and she pressed the attack, trying to push him in that direction. It didn't work, as he dodged staying right where he was.

Finally she broke off, but because she had to. A fiery bind leaped up around him, but he smashed it with one heavy flex. No teamwork at all…not that he could talk, but it was still embarrassing to watch.

The knight's blast was almost fully charged. It wouldn't be much work to dodge, but he had something different in mind.

Arturia stared as what appeared to be a device, or something quite similar, blinked into existence near their opponent's hand, and was quickly snatched up. It was a sword, apparently modeled after the slimmer, eastern models rather than her large claymore, and matched the colors of its owner's suit. It seemed a bit small in the armored hands, but he held it like it was second-nature.

She wasn't going to give him the chance to use it. _"Fire, Frangir! __**LAUS CALAMUS!**__"_

The sparkling corona left the device's launcher with enough force to push its wielder backward. Ryusei watched the blast coming at him with a calculating eye.

From nearby, Alyssa watched both sides of the blade light up, and it start to vibrate. A bad feeling came over her.

As the blast approached, he held the blade up in both hands, waited until it was nearly upon him, and then swung down vertically. Both officers watched as the spell was bisected down the middle, each half swerving around to dissipate uselessly.

"_W-what in the world?" _Arturia thought in astonishment. _"He deflected it that easily?"_

"_He didn't deflect anything." _Alyssa replied, shaking her head. _"The spell just split apart when his sword got close. Never seen anything like it."_

The mage raised his head, and she could sense one eye looking right at her. And then he took off…right for Arturia.

"_Shit."_

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Museum Hallway – 1040 Hours**

"_I hope Alyssa's alright." _Anton sighed inwardly. _"At least she's probably not trying something as risky as this."_

He was currently kneeling in-between two sculptures, under a cloaking spell. Both eyes were on the hallway Katie would come out of; he wasn't sure how good her senses were in this area, but hopefully not good enough to blow this plan. He wouldn't just be dead meat if that happened, he'd be grilled. How she reacted first off would be the key.

Footsteps approached, and with bated breath Anton watched Katie enter the hallway. He froze, just in case her gaze wandered, but it focused right on the door to her left, ajar just a smidge.

"Really? I even slowed down a bit, and that's the best you came up with?" she stepped forward and laid a hand on the door.

The instant her fingers came into contact, runes lit up just inside the room it led to, as well as on the door itself. They went off, causing a gale-force explosion in the hallway. Anton flinched as the stands toppled over.

"A little trap a five-year old could have seen through? I'm a bit offended." Katie turned, barrier jacket crackling but largely unaffected, and looked right at his hiding place.

Anton was already moving, though, retreating quickly (well, alright, _desperately_) down the hall. He flung a quick gust of wind behind him, but it was swatted away like a bug.

"You look smart, I'll give you that, but I suppose smoke and mirrors count for a lot." With ease she flicked one of her knives, sending out a whip of lightning that curled around his leg and sent him hurling to the ground. She approached slowly, watching him try to crawl forward. "Do you know how pathetic you look right now?"

He stopped. "Actually yes."

Quickly, Anton raised one hand. "I have to, when I'm _trying_ to look like it." He struck it down on the hallway floor.

"**Squall Cage."**

More sigils appeared around them, on the walls and floor just where Katie happened to be standing now. The ones on the floor each produced a swirling current of wind; barely anything on their own, but together they created a miniature cyclone in the hallway, lifting the lightning mage off her feet and halting her forward movement entirely. She could have powered out quickly, of course, if it weren't for the binds that came out from the walls. Alone either of them wouldn't have been enough to hold her more than a few seconds. Katie knew this was the case, which made it all the more infuriating that she couldn't now.

Anton stood up, looking far less like someone just caught off-guard. She couldn't help noticing that he was holding the baton with the arm she'd stuck her device into the other night. "Just so we're clear," he breathed, "I didn't start this fight. You did."

The baton cut through the wind like it wasn't even there, and although it looked like a silly little instrument in the secretary's hands, when it hit Katie she found it was a bit more like a small, sharp piece of metal. It struck her across both cheeks and the chin as hard as Anton could swing; harder, with the wind helping it along.

Then he stepped back and waved his weapon, causing the wind to pick up enough to slam her into the ceiling. Binds broken, she flopped to the floor.

Anton let out a huge sigh, and then took a gulp from his inhaler. Well, he'd been right at least. From what he'd seen of her fighting, she hadn't looked as durable as her brother, or even Alyssa. "Yeah," he said tiredly, "not so tough anymore, are-"

One of Katie's hands clenched over the knife nearby it. Hurriedly dumping water on that little flame of competence, his brain sent him about face and running. Catching her off-guard once didn't mean he'd come close to actually beating her in a straight fight, and he wasn't going to try – not today at least. If he got back to Captain Stromhold or GD and Ace, then that was more than enough of a win for him.

"_Step two: so far, so still alive." _he thought, turning the corner. She was going to be mad when she woke up, which was either going to be very good or very, very bad for him. Good thing this museum had plenty of hallways like this.

Not long after he'd gone, Katie rose. Anton's attack had banged her around a little, but she could still stand, easily. She swished her tongue around, feeling the blood within it. "Well, no problem," the lightning triad murmured, "it'll just make it more enjoyable when I catch him, that's all."

She pursued.

** 0**

**Planet Gardius – Museum Display Room –**** 1040 Hours**

GD had wondered briefly when this droid had shown itself if it was not the commander unit Doctor Forrester had asserted the existence of. Unlikely, he had concluded after a moment, for various reasons. Now, however, this conclusion had unpleasant consequences. If a common machine – albeit one almost certainly being controlled remotely – could pose this much of a threat to he and the Corporal both, what would its commander be capable of?

But there was something else. It had only been a hint at first, but as he watched the blows Ace and the droid traded, it became more and more apparent. Having data on someone was one matter, but it seemed to know almost exactly what move he would make. GD had been by the young man's side in enough combat to understand the difficulty of this; it was not something you could accomplish by memorizing a computer screen or making calculations.

Case in point. He watched as Ace struck out with a quick, powerful blow, so much like the element he was most at home with. The droid met and blocked it, then the second blow, putting them at a deadlock. His injured arm didn't help, either. _"Trying to solve your problems with brute force? I can't say I'm surprised. Just disappointed."_

That was another matter. The person at the controls of this machine seemed to know exactly what buttons of Ace's to push. He was more sensitive than he first appeared, GD knew, and he was beginning to make mistakes. Not merely because of anger, but because they clearly had knowledge of his origins. First-hand knowledge, quite possibly. It was fortunate that he was present in this fight.

Quickly GD approached from behind as the corporal tried to charge his gauntlets, and was met with a kick to the stomach, just in the right place to stun him. _**"Query: Corporal, are you thinking of what I am?" **_He spoke calmly, and Ace heard him, nodding.

"_You bet, Sergeant! This guy is really ticking me off!"_

The droid paused as Ace tightened his hold, braced his legs, and then heaved. His pull hoisted the machine above his shoulders. It was still hanging on, but that was-

"_Huh?" _Ace thought as he found himself holding two severed arms. They'd come apart mid-throw, as easily as some doorknobs had back before he'd gotten a hang of himself.

The momentum remained, however, sending the droid into a graceful, sailing leap. What wasn't graceful was the hole it gouged in GD's chest with a vicious, mid-air kick.

Ace bit his lip as his CO went sailing backward, innards sparking. "Sergeant!"

"_My, distracted that easily?" _the droid crooned as it hopped back, attaching its arms while he ran over. _"Perhaps you have changed. Or you're quite a good actor."_

The corporal stopped mid-way, clenching one fist hard enough to make the gauntlet whine. "What are you trying to do, anyway?" he growled. "Even I ask, you're not going to say a word. You want me to get angry, right?"

"_Do I?"_ the droid asked, tilting its head to one side.

"Well, you can forget it." Ace said, offering GD a hand up. "All that's going to happen is us beating you." He moved back into his stance. "And when we meet for real, I'm going to beat all the answers out of you. Whoever you are, you can count on that."

A charge sparked in his boots, bolstering his speed as he ran forward. The droid dodged again, as his blow crackled through the air, but only just. Then GD came out from one side, scything at it with his claws. It evaded them too, but when it stepped back they both saw the marks.

"_Now we're talking." _it said.

Ace frowned. _"Sergeant, it's going to take forever if we just keep pecking at it like this. If I can just get a hold of it, I know I can end this in one or two hits."_

"_**Agreement: there is a tactic available for cases like this, Corporal."**_

"_Now you're thinking what _I'm_ thinking, Sergeant."_

GD dove forward, slashing rapidly at the other robot, not faltering as all of them were dodged. On the other hand, their foe couldn't get past him so easily either.

Meanwhile, Ace raised his good arm, building up a great charge of lightning. **"Spark Field!"**

The gauntlet slammed down, releasing the charge and allowing it to spread through the floor. Not just the part of it around Ace, either, but traveling across the entire room. Both droids saw it coming, and leaped into the air: a move like that would dissipate quickly, but also wreak havoc on a machine's innards.

But only one of the droids had known it was coming. GD went right for Grace's droid in the air, grabbing ahold of one of the legs. Under the VR helmet, she frowned.

Just after they'd committed to their jumps, meanwhile, Ace raised his gauntlet up from the floor. The electricity he'd expelled suddenly came rushing back, flowing into his gauntlet and producing a violent surge.

Grace peered forward in the chamber. _"_That _kind of spell, hm? Interesting. Very interesting."_

Using the hold he'd managed to gun, GD swung the other machine around in midair; now they were both falling toward Ace, just as the young man tensed his legs and dashed forward, gauntlet sparkling. **"LIGHTNING..."**

"_Ha. I'm impressed."_

"**FINGEEEEER!"**

GD leaped away just before, allowing Ace to skewer their enemy with his gauntlet. The blow punched a hole into the droid, but the strike artist wasn't quite finished there. Raising the droid above his head with one hand, he let the charge loose.

His sergeant nodded at the bolt of lightning that rose up toward the ceiling, but didn't actually pierce through. You would not expect it, but the Corporal could display surprising restraint at times. The machine they had fought was still in one piece, as well, although the blast had rendered it completely inoperable.

He walked up as Ace set it down. The blonde grinned. "Think the Doctor will be happy when we get back, Sergeant?"

"**Assumption: I believe that…"  
**

A sudden light from below them caught the two's attention. The disabled droid's eyes had begun to flash. Very, very quickly.

The explosion came after the two leaped aside, Ace tackling GD to shield him from the blast. It wasn't very big, thankfully, and aside from a few pedestals being knocked over there was no serious damage.

Ace coughed. "Uh, well. He'll be happy that we weren't hurt, anyway!"

"**Query: you are not very familiar with the Doctor, are you, Corporal?"**

** 0**

**Planet Gardius - Museum Hallway - 1042 Hours**

Katie didn't think of herself as a very patient person. When she wanted something, she wanted it quickly. She would have much rather been chasing the pest through open sky, instead of these cramped hallways. He could be anywhere now for all she knew.

Not, of course, that she was afraid of him and his stupid little tricks. But this place was already surrounded, and she didn't have the time to start breaking down walls. Barnes had picked something out to take, so it was about time for her to do the same. She'd have been done already, if only the idiot hadn't shown up and distracted her. Another thing for Barnes to rub it in about.

Turning a corner, she saw Anton in the middle of a four-way intersection, taking a puff from that plastic thing he used. Seeing it stoked her anger more: how the hell had she been given the slip by an invalid this many times!?

He looked round and saw her. Then he was off again-

Scratch that. _They _were off again: more of those damned clones of his. One went up, one went left, and-

Her gaze fixed on the one going right. Katie hadn't figured her whip had affected his leg that much, but there it was, a brief stumble from the one going right. No clone did that. Stepping up to that hallway, she smiled and called, "You know, it's not safe to run with an injury."

He flinched. It was almost adorable, really, how out of his depth he was. He'd come from somewhere where you could get away with flinching. How lucky for him.

As Anton sped up, trying to run, she smirked, twirling both of Lacerto's halves in her hands. Lightning began to wreath her. She dropped into a diving stance, raised one of the knives-

-and sent it whistling toward the secretary as he tried to sneak up behind her. He jerked back, gasping, but the energized knife cut through his barrier jacket and into his arm. It wasn't a wound that could kill, at least not _quickly_, but she could tell it had hurt him. Of course, any amount of pain might be too much for someone like him.

"You already got me once with that sort of trick. I'll admit I didn't see it coming," she took a step forward, fingering her knife, "but exactly where did your mother drop you to make you think it would work twice in a row?"

That area of insult tended to drive even the thickest-skinned into a fury, but all her words did was make him travel backward, but not before throwing out some more useless wind. It blew back Katie's hair as she stood twirling her knives, watching him run down the hallway. His leg injury seemed to have been a fake. He was sneakier than he looked; shame he wasn't stronger, too.

"You remember _this _move, don't you? **Lightning...**" she grinned like a cat. **"RAVE!"**

And then she was off like a rocket, if the rocket was wreathed in lightning and had two electrified blades on the front. Anton saw it coming and hit the dirt, but that only meant the knives didn't hit him; the aura of lightning surrounding her washed over him as she passed above, blasting chunks from his barrier jacket and cutting at his face.

She flipped in midair and came to rest with her feet against the wall on the far end of the hallway. Katie's senses buzzed at her that there was something a bit off here, but she ignored them to focus on what was in front of her eyes: Anton swaying to his feet. Her attack had opened up a cut on his forehead, and he blinked as the wound dribbled down under his glasses. She had a clear shot, and there was nowhere for him to run this time.

It looked like he was going to say something, though. Fine, then. She watched as he raised a finger and said two words.

"Got..you."

The typical retort from Katie rose up in her throat, when an ominous noise rose up from nearby. Just under her feet, in fact.

She looked down at the brick wall, to see that it wasn't brick wall, not anymore. The surface shimmered as an illusion spell dissipated, revealing a glass case that now had a large crack running through it. A pair of sensors within were glowing bright red.

Katie had just enough time to realize what she really should have turned off when they were in the security room earlier, and say a few words of her own. "I hate you."

Anton gave a little shrug.

Then the security system took effect. The principle behind them was simple: any magical force that touched them, be it an attack or some attempt at thievery, was absorbed (to a certain extent, at least: anything that used, say, an AAA rank mage's full power would certainly break the case, the security sensors, and probably the room both were in) and sent back two-fold in pure power. There were ways to deal with it, of course - but they required knowing it was there to begin with.

Anton ducked and covered, which was a good move; the energy released by the security devices became a shockwave that ripped halfway through both adjoining hallways. It was so loud he barely heard Katie's scream of pain.

He only dared to look up when he heard something flop to the floor. Katie looked more worse for wear after her move than Anton. Several parts of her barrier jacket hung in ribbons, and the skin underneath was smoking. Her ponytail had come undone, leaving her hair tattered.

"_...what now?" _He hadn't expected it to do that much, or really, to even work at all. He had made a guess that Katie couldn't change directions during that spell, but if he had been wrong, it would be him lying there now.

If she was out for good, he had to arrest her, then. _If_. He rose, tottering a bit, and walked over carefully. "Um..." He probably would have remembered exactly what you had to say if this wasn't the first time it had ever come up. "For starters, you're under-"

She shot straight up, knife in hand, but Anton had sort of expected that. He dodged to one side of the stab with the aid of some wind, landing in the hallway going left.

Katie...did not look happy. Lightning began to crackle all across her body as she stared at him, in a way that didn't look as natural as her earlier move. It didn't do much for the look in her eyes, either.

Anton was getting pretty good at predicting the future when it came to Katie, and he had a sudden premonition of his own if he remained in this hallway a moment or two longer. So, he took the nearest exit out. That this happened to be a window didn't factor much into his decision.

He was still strong enough to fly, but as he broke through the pane, the force of the blast behind sent him tumbling. But he was getting pretty lucky today; underneath him was a soft landing.

Well, maybe not _that _lucky. It was an open dumpster, after all.

Which was worse between the landing and the smell was up for a lengthy debate, but at least he was still in one piece. Anton grabbed hold of the side and pulled himself up.

"Freeze!"

He stared into the business end of four police-issue staff devices. Anton slowly dropped his baton over the side, and held out his hand. In a flash of light, his Bureau ID card appeared in it. "Anton Langsley, Section Thirteen...if you can believe that."

They lowered their devices, looking disappointed. What was the point of reacting that fast if you didn't get to arrest someone?

"Um. Could one of you help me out of here?"

** 0**

**Gardius' Moon - Collapsed Tunnel - 1041 Hours**

Dwight flinched as a loud thud came from somewhere above-ground. Not a good time to make a sudden movement; his shot pulled above Red Shoulder, letting him move a bit closer. It had been like that for a while. He thought he'd have him pinned down, and then the guy would manage to slither forward. Dwight hadn't wanted him to get close at the beginning of the fight, but now more than ever, because it was pretty clear now just how out-classed he was. Military beat police most of the time, and if Red Shoulder wasn't from there, he'd eat his gun, literally.

Things had turned out pretty badly the last time they had met, and that was on the Bureau's turf. This time it would be by their rules, and somehow Dwight got the feeling they wouldn't be very friendly ones. Times like this, he wished he'd had a bit more imagination when requesting his device. Straight shots were useless in this tunnel, and he couldn't pull off making them move like other mages. Gas was useless up here,

What would his boss do in this situation? Blast the whole tunnel to bits with her cannon, probably - sort of the question for him. Alyssa and Arturia? Just fly out, probably - and ditto. He gave the drop behind him another glance. Would it hurt more than if Red Shoulder got up to him? Could be worth some consideration depending on how things went.

He fired off another few shots, then ducked as a few came back in return. The boulders around them were good cover, and so far none of them had gotten hit. They'd given Dwight an idea a little while back, though, but he didn't plan on using it unless he got into deep shit, pardon his french.

The lull between shots had gone a bit too long for his tastes. He quickly rose, eyes searching for the black suit.

What he did see was a grenade, tumbling over his rock and landing right near his feet. At times like that, your feet did the thinking for you: by the time his brain had caught up he was leaning against the rock wall, shield up.

The explosion was bigger than a normal grenade, but he weathered it fine enough. His boulder got a chunk blown out of it, but it was still fine for cover. But moving had forced him out in the open. He quickly moved back-

That rifle Red Shoulder was using was something else alright. His barrier jacket might as well have been leisure wear for how much resistance it offered to the bullet, which went right into his left leg, near the knee.

Well, now if he somehow got past the trained mercenary playing for keeps he'd have to escape the tunnels by hopping on one leg. Great. The only thing worse than thinking about how bad he was off was wondering if anyone had it worse.

** 0**

**Gardius' Moon - Cavern - 1042 Hours**

Someone at least thought they did. But Daniel had thought that in more than a hundred different situations this far in his life, so it probably didn't mean as much now. As it turned out, the machine could fly pretty fast. Well, the individual pieces anyway. They'd caught up not long after they'd left the bunker, and the area they'd done it in, a wider part of the cavern, didn't improve matters much. It was a lot like that time he'd gotten swarmed by that hive of nullsquitos in the river, except with lasers.

...bigger lasers, anyway.

Growling, he swung his shovel, aiming to bat an arm out of the air as it flew by. Nothing doing; it quickly ascended away, turning to aim a shot at him. Pulling Otavi close, he slammed Lithic into the ground. A curved rock wall burst from the ground, shielding them from the fire. But guarding one spot didn't really mean jack against this thing. The other arm and both legs were approaching from behind.

Daniel could think that far ahead, though. He waited until the first arm stopped firing, and then leaped _through _the barrier, pulling Otavi with him. It collapsed behind the pair, just in time to bury the limbs in rocks.

The digger laughed, running as fast as someone else's legs could carry him. "Ha, take that you-

The machine's head lowered down in front of them., eyes glowing. "Oh."

This time it was Otavi who moved him, shoving him away and letting the energy hit her instead.

It wasn't a regular laser; the energy spread out to ensnare Otavi, and then began to crackle. The violinist screamed.

"You hunk of garbage!" Daniel slammed his shovel into the dirt and swung it forward. A cascade of rocks hurtled toward the machine's head.

Without missing a beat, the torso suddenly lowered into the air ahead of it, projecting a barrier that stopped them all. The head's attack, meanwhile, increased in energy, along with Otavi's screams.

Daniel grit his teeth, hesitated a moment, and then leaped.

On the other side of her interface, Lacerta's eyes widened a fraction as his jump took him right into her attack. _"That is his next move? For what purpose?" _Otavi flopped to the ground, while the energy now trapped the digger. He wasn't screaming like her, but one look at his face told you the pain he was feeling at the moment. _"Either way one of them will be caught, and she cannot defend herself without his aid. What a useless, emotional move."_

Her eyes turned from the trapped man to the girl, rising and staring at the sight with wide eyes. That explained something of their relationship. Despite herself Lacerta felt a twinge of pity. The girl was from a dead kingdom that was never coming back, and according to her file, didn't even have memories of it left. They had dredged her up in this time and then left her be when it was found she had no practical use. Well, there would be one for her now.

The rubble behind them scattered as the unit's limbs resurfaced. They flew over, and with a few precise movements the machine was whole again. Lacerta grasped hold of the beam and tugged. Daniel's body was pulled out of mid-air to rest before the machine. She quickly disarmed him of his device, and brought one foot down to pin him.

Daniel halted it with both hands, staring up at the machine with defiance. "You're not...laying a finger on..."

Lacerta shot him twice. He held his grip a moment, and then fell limp.

Still pointing the hand at him in case he tried anything further, she raised the unit's head to look at Otavi. She gestured to the violin and fiddle, then to the ground nearby.

"No." the musician replied back calmly. Strangely calm, given what she had just been through. "Get away from him, or you'll regret it. Now."

Ryusei would have wondered what the girl was playing at. Lacerta could tell that tone of voice didn't come from any bluff. She raised the unit's hands toward Otavi, and waited.

It didn't take long. After a moment or two Otavi began to play, and it was a song she had never used before. Lacerta was certain of that - it was low, mournful, and came through the transmission clear as day, almost straight into her nerves.

The girl was a summoner of plants, Lacerta had read, and could enchant those who couldn't move to do so. Everything she had done this with so far was native to Planet Gardius, however, and this moon would offer nothing of the sort. But the mere fact that she was playing meant there was something she could bring here.

The Unit fired with both arms, but Otavi ducked and weaved, moving safely between every shot. Lacerta frowned, pressing the fire, but the musician seemed to know exactly where they were going to go. So the reports of her precognition were not mere rumor, then. But there were ways of dealing with that.

Making her machine hover, she flew it at full speed toward Otavi. The girl looked attentive, and ready to dodge. It was unfortunate, then, that Unit Comet was designed for this sort of thing.

As it neared her, the unit spun, detaching its arms and firing them toward her. She evaded the whirling blades they became, but could not deflect them. That was unfortunate, for they both did a u-turn in the air and came scything toward her back, while the unit's main body whirled around, kicking at her with both legs. Lacerta would be very surprised if the girl could dodge this.

And to her credit, that would indeed have been impossible for Otavi. But sadly for her, she had no knowledge on exactly how quick this summon spell was. With a final stroke of her fiddle, Otavi murmured to the cavern, **"Knight's Elegy."**

Lacerta pulled the unit's parts back at the first flicker of movement. It came from below, and the object that caused it sprouted up and around the girl: a large bud, a size or two bigger than a human being.

Reconnecting Unit Comet, she stared at it calmly, arms up and prepared to fire the instant anything happened. There was no prior information to help her here, only her own intuition. Fortunately, she had that in abundance.

Finally, the bud split open down the middle. She fired, and quickly pulled the machine aside as all ten beams were deflected, scattering around the cavern.

They weren't the only thing coming her way, however. Lacerta quickly ascended, but not quickly enough to keep the blade from piercing into Unit Comet's right leg. It wasn't a serious wound, but the first it had taken so far. She leveled it off near the ceiling, and watched as the blade and the arm that held it pulled back to the cocoon as their owner emerged.

It was a plant, as she'd expected, but a peculiar one. Most plants, after all, didn't resemble humans.

That would have been noteworthy enough already, but just as the spell had said, this one seemed to fancy itself a knight. A sharpened branch served as its sword, and the shield that had deflected her lasers was a glowing leaf. It had a face, if the eyes she saw watching her - the unit were any indication, but it was covered by a helmet made from a carved up nut. Put together with the plant's lanky limbs, made out of curled vines, she would have found it comical if it had not done what it just had.

The plant knight took a step forward, turning its head back slightly to watch the girl take up position behind it, violin at the ready. Yes, the classic summoner/familiar combination. A good opponent to test Unit Comet's merits against.

"_Very well. In that case, I'll make certain you understand just how outdated you Belkans are now, girl." _Lacerta thought to herself. _"As well as me and my father's power."_

_To be continued..._

_Next time, Alyssa and Arturia realize they'll have to work together to survive this fight, but not before sharing a few words about family. Down on Gardius, with her subordinates out of harm's way, will Jeanne be able to manage the same? And most importantly, what's the deal with this familiar Otavi has summoned?_

_Find all this out in Family Talk, the next chapter._


End file.
